Accessible MRI could revolutionise the diagnosis of brain disorders

AMRI combines two separate but related projects, says Niilo Kämäräinen, who works on AMRI at the Department of Design. The technical development of the accessible imaging device is one branch of the work, while the other is the framework for future applications, such as in a mobile stroke unit.

To get a first-hand look at the latter, I travelled with Kämäräinen to Lappeenranta to visit the LAB University of Applied Sciences, where ambulance paramedics are trained. There, the research team has gained invaluable information on the requirements for accessible imaging in a cramped ambulance – in busy, high pressure and often distressing situations.

But before looking at their latest results, let's find out how and why Aalto researchers started working on an accessible MRI machine.

Weak fields and strong collaborations

One of the reasons behind the AMRI project is woven into the basic idea of Aalto University, explains University Lecturer Lauri Palva from the School of Electrical Engineering. ‘When Aalto was founded, health and health-related technologies were one of the top priorities. That’s certainly one reason why that’s still a huge research area here,’ says Palva.

One of the key figures in the development of MRI in Finland was Professor Emeritus Raimo Sepponen. Sepponen’s career in MRI development began in the 1970s and 1980s, when the first modern MRI machines were introduced in Finland. His work and ideas are also behind the research and development of accessible MRI at Aalto – and the whole AMRI project.

‘One of his projects was already researching this kind of weak magnetic field imaging, and he had been working on this project for a long time even before I got involved,’ says Palva.

Today’s large MRI machines use very strong magnetic fields, because the stronger the field, the more details can be discerned when imaging a patient. The accessible MRI project uses weaker magnetic fields to meet different medical needs. ‘What we’re looking at are applications where you don’t necessarily need to go into such fine detail to get useful results. And there are such cases,’ Palva says.

When Palva joined the project, the electrical and magnetic properties of the imaging system had been determined, but the development of the device itself was just beginning. The team worked on developing the magnet and the electronics, both of which are needed to produce an image. But Palva explains that the technology has also recently leapt forward in other ways. Artificial intelligence and improved algorithms are also part of accessible MRI, because they help researchers push the bounds of what can be accomplished with a weak magnetic field.

Perspectives from the field

The design process incorporates input from end users through cooperation with the paramedic training programme at LAB University of Applied Sciences. Niilo Kämäräinen and Erika Renedo Illaregi, a post-doctoral researcher and service design expert, have been to three simulations of the mobile MRI stroke unit during the past year, and they learned an enormous amount from each one.

The simulation will once again provide valuable practical information to the researchers, including how patients would be transferred from an ordinary ambulance to a mobile stroke unit, how they would be placed in the MRI machine and how the treatment protocol would proceed. One of the paramedics who visited the simulation during their shift raises an interesting question, asking whether the device could also image jugular veins, which are involved in a large proportion of cerebrovascular incidents. This is another area the team will consider as they continue developing the device.

The benefits aren't just individual

The goal of the AMRI project isn’t just to develop a technical device but to respond to an existing need. Everyone I spoke to agreed about the key need, and research findings say the same thing: the incidence of cerebrovascular disorders among young working-age people has increased significantly in recent decades. The ability to rapidly diagnose these cases is vital for providing the correct treatment.

Distinguishing a stroke from a cerebral haemorrhage based solely on external symptoms is difficult, but it’s essential for effective treatment. The two conditions may share symptoms, but the treatments are completely different – and the wrong treatment could make things worse.

‘Finland has huge peripheral areas where there aren’t many ambulances and the travel distances are long. It’s precisely for these time-critical patients that trained staff and functioning equipment would be essential. That would enable the type of brain event to be identified with certainty, and the decision to start treatment could be made quickly. It would really save lives,’ says Hapuli, an experienced paramedic and paramedic trainer.

‘That means the worker is on sick leave, and it also requires a huge amount of rehabilitation to be able to cope with life after a stroke. With all the money it saves, accessible MRI is a very effective tool, in my opinion,’ says Tanninen.

Possibly still unknown areas of research

Palva says the development of an AMRI machine is well underway but, as always in academia, much depends on future funding. The team hopes that they’ll soon be able to tell when the device will produce images of sufficient quality.

‘We’re on the verge of something exciting in the sense that we’re now adjusting the electronics to get the signal to a sufficient level. Once the signal is strong enough, we’ll start developing signal processing in our lab equipment,’ says Palva.

But even with a usable device still over the horizon, the project is constantly providing new insights into imaging with weak magnetic fields, says Palva. 

Accessible MRI was also part of the Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition. This year the over twenty projects shed light on the hidden and noteworthy.