Extending the clinical reach of MRI scanning through innovative low-field engineering and hyperpolarised xenon technology
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Infection Immunity & Cardiovasc Disease
Abstract
Most magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners used in hospitals operate at a magnetic field strength of either 1.5T or 3T. Research scanners used for advanced imaging applications can have a magnetic field of 7T or higher. However, the build, installation and running costs of these "high field" imaging systems scales with the magnetic field strength. This limits the accessibility and reach of MRI as a versatile and clinically-useful imaging modality. Recent technological advances in artificial intelligence for high-quality image reconstruction pioneered by GE Healthcare (GEHC) with their AIRTM Recon DL product, alongside radiofrequency coil and scanner system engineering developments, make a strong case to revisit "low-field" MRI; e.g. 0.5T. In parallel, novel technologies - such as hyperpolarised 129Xe gas MRI for the lungs pioneered at the University of Sheffield (UoS) - are poised to help maximise the clinical relevance of low-field MRI by providing information on physiology that cannot be visualised by other imaging modalities. In particular, lung MRI is a field of rapid development that will realise benefits at low field; the recent COVID pandemic has highlighted the real and present clinical need for more sensitive lung imaging technologies.
This EPSRC prosperity partnership will take the 12-year strong collaboration between UoS and GEHC to the next level through a synergistic research programme that capitalises on the strengths of both partners. Our programme will focus on two main themes:
(i) The development and integration of hardware and software needed to achieve clinically-useful lung MRI on the NHS's most common "high-field" systems.
(ii) Research into low-field MRI physics and engineering, and the development of hardware and software to demonstrate high-quality imaging at low-field.
The work plan for these themes is divided into several work packages, each of which will be led by a team of dedicated experts from either UoS or GEHC with expertise matched to the specific research goals. In addition, this partnership will support four PhD students (three of whom are GEHC staff) to undertake a unique industry-academia co-supervised PhD programme and deliver on demonstrator projects that are distinct yet highly complementary to our main research goals.
This EPSRC prosperity partnership will take the 12-year strong collaboration between UoS and GEHC to the next level through a synergistic research programme that capitalises on the strengths of both partners. Our programme will focus on two main themes:
(i) The development and integration of hardware and software needed to achieve clinically-useful lung MRI on the NHS's most common "high-field" systems.
(ii) Research into low-field MRI physics and engineering, and the development of hardware and software to demonstrate high-quality imaging at low-field.
The work plan for these themes is divided into several work packages, each of which will be led by a team of dedicated experts from either UoS or GEHC with expertise matched to the specific research goals. In addition, this partnership will support four PhD students (three of whom are GEHC staff) to undertake a unique industry-academia co-supervised PhD programme and deliver on demonstrator projects that are distinct yet highly complementary to our main research goals.
Organisations
- University of Sheffield (Lead Research Organisation)
- Medical Research Council (Co-funder)
- University of Alberta (Collaboration)
- Aarhus University (Collaboration)
- Columbia University (Collaboration)
- Columbia University Medical Center (Collaboration)
- University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein -Kiel (Collaboration)
- KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- University of Kiel (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER (Collaboration)
- McMaster University (Collaboration)
- Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Collaboration)
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (Collaboration)
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (Collaboration)
- University of British Columbia (Collaboration)
- GE HEALTHCARE LIMITED (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- GE Healthcare Life Sciences (Collaboration)
- GE Healthcare (Project Partner)
Publications
Pilgrim-Morris JH
(2025)
A framework for modelling whole-lung and regional transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide using hyperpolarised xenon-129 lung magnetic resonance imaging.
in ERJ open research
Vaeggemose M
(2023)
A Framework for Predicting X-Nuclei Transmitter Gain Using 1H Signal.
in Tomography (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Elbehairy AF
(2024)
Advances in COPD imaging using CT and MRI: linkage with lung physiology and clinical outcomes.
in The European respiratory journal
Collier GJ
(2024)
Age, sex, and lung volume dependence of dissolved xenon-129 MRI gas exchange metrics.
in Magnetic resonance in medicine
Pilgrim-Morris JH
(2025)
Compressed sensing reconstruction for high-SNR, rapid dissolved 129Xe gas exchange MRI.
in Magnetic resonance in medicine
| Description | 129Xe MRI to investigate lung physiology in paediatric difficult asthma |
| Amount | £51,843 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Sheffield Children's Hospital |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2025 |
| End | 04/2026 |
| Description | An international lung MRI database for characterization of regional CF lung disease |
| Amount | £12,454 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 03/2024 |
| End | 03/2026 |
| Description | Clinical outcome measures for children with Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis (PBB): A pilot observational study into patterns of ventilation in children with PBB using xenon-129 MRI |
| Amount | £31,352 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Sheffield Children's Hospital |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2024 |
| End | 04/2024 |
| Description | Early detection and treatment of chronic rejection after lung transplantation |
| Amount | £128,250 (GBP) |
| Organisation | J P Moulton Charitable Foundation |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2024 |
| End | 07/2024 |
| Description | Extension to project 179724 An international lung MRI database for characterization of regional CF lung disease |
| Amount | £11,662 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Cystic Fibrosis Foundation |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 06/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | Prosperity Partnerships Call 5 Strategic Students GE Healthcare and University of Sheffield |
| Amount | £80,436 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/Y528882/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| End | 04/2027 |
| Description | Pulmonary MRI assessment in HIV with obstructive lung disease: PuMAH OLD |
| Amount | £8,538 (GBP) |
| Organisation | British HIV Association (BHIVA) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2024 |
| End | 03/2024 |
| Description | Sheffield Platform for Imaging Research in Oncology |
| Amount | £4,200,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Yorkshire Cancer Research |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2025 |
| End | 09/2029 |
| Description | The South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub |
| Amount | £3,211,469 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/X03075X/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2023 |
| End | 08/2026 |
| Description | Validation of the ErgoFitspacer device for children with asthma using Hyperpolarised gas flow imaging and computational fluid dynamics |
| Amount | £44,562 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Title | Novel 0.5T prototype MRI scanner and RF coils |
| Description | Prototype 0.5T 60cm bore MRI scanner commissioned in Sheffield |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Novel prototype 0.5T 60cm bore MRI scanner installed and commissioned in Sheffield with first 1H images acquired |
| Title | Portable xenon polariser |
| Description | Development of a portable xenon polariser that can be taken to novice sites waiting to access the technology for clinical lung imaging |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Lung images acquired with xenon at papworth hospital Build of a polariser for UCL BRC |
| Title | SEOP modelling |
| Description | General simulation framework to model spin dynamics in 129Xe-Rb spin-exhchange optical pumping (SEOP) systems. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Enables other researchers to model their own SEOP systems using this MATLAB simulation model |
| URL | https://doi.org/10.60893/figshare.jap.c.7575320.v1 |
| Title | Xenon clinical trials consortium imaging database |
| Description | Database of xenon lung ventialtion images from 6 centres |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Open access database for training AI algorithms for segmeting ventilation images |
| Description | Aarhus University xenon poalriser and MRI pulse sequences |
| Organisation | Aarhus University |
| Country | Denmark |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Enabled xenon MRI in Danish medical centre with POLARIS xenon polariser and mRI pulse sequences |
| Collaborator Contribution | New collaboration for xenon lung MRI in Denmark , co supervision of PhD student |
| Impact | Joint PhD student New site enabled for xenon multi centre imaging |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with GE Healthcare on developing 129Xe MRI hardware on new 1/5T scanner |
| Organisation | GE Healthcare Life Sciences |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Design, testing, iterative feedback and evaluation of new hardware for xenon MRI on new GE 1.5T and PET-MR MRI scanners (2018) , (2021) |
| Collaborator Contribution | Supply of base MRI system and multinuclear MRI hardware |
| Impact | First 129Xe images at Sheffield Northern General Hospital acquired in 2017 First 129Xe images at Royal Hallamshire Hospital PET-MRI acquired in 2017 |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Columbia University NYC polariser collaboration |
| Organisation | Columbia University Medical Center |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Installed POLARIS xenon polariser and POLARIS pulse sequences for MRI of xenon |
| Collaborator Contribution | New clinical site for xenon MRI |
| Impact | Xenon MRI enabled in clinical site in US leading medical centre |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Leicester University and NIHR BRC |
| Organisation | University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust |
| Department | Leicester Royal Infirmary |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| PI Contribution | Supply of a hyperpolariser for xenon MRI and technical support for a new clinical site |
| Collaborator Contribution | Supply of a hyperpolariser for xenon MRI and technical support for a new clinical site |
| Impact | Supply of a bespoke Sheffield POLARIS xenon polariser for imaging in Leicester |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Low field MRI collaboration with University of Alberta |
| Organisation | University of Alberta |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Low field MRI collaboration with University of Alberta |
| Collaborator Contribution | Preliminary collaborative exchanges around low field cardiac MRI with Prof Richard Thompson |
| Impact | initial inter institutional collaboration around low field and lung MRI |
| Start Year | 2025 |
| Description | Mc Master University Canada |
| Organisation | McMaster University |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Implementation of Sheffield lung xenon MRI protocols at a new site |
| Collaborator Contribution | Clinical evaluation of Sheffield lung MRI protocols |
| Impact | Ongoing collaborative research |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | University of British Columbia |
| Organisation | University of British Columbia |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Implementation of xenon MRI pulse sequences on UBC scannes |
| Collaborator Contribution | Evaluation of Sheffield MRI protocols at a new clinical site |
| Impact | Research ongoing |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | University of Kiel xenon MRI |
| Organisation | University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein -Kiel |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Enabled xenon polariser at Kiel university for medical and porous media research |
| Collaborator Contribution | New site for xenon MRI |
| Impact | Member of German porous media NMR researhc consortium |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | University of Manchester /Wythenshawe Hospital xenon polariser and MRI infrastructure collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Department | Manchester Business School |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Loan of a xenon polariser and expertise setting up a new clinical site in xenon MRI |
| Collaborator Contribution | Recipeint clinical site keen to establish technology for lung imaging |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | UoS / GE Healthcare prosperity partnership |
| Organisation | GE Healthcare Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Academic IP and knowhow for low TRL physics and engineering research for hyperpolarised, lung and MRI technologies |
| Collaborator Contribution | Engineering knowhow and IP for MRI scannner engineering |
| Impact | EPSRC prosperity partnership award |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Xenon MRI technology enabling |
| Organisation | Columbia University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Enabled xenon MRI technology with installation of Sheffield xenon polarisers at Addenbrookes and Papworth hospitals in Cambridge, UCL, Columbia University, NYC, Kiel University , University of Oxford, AArhus university , Manchester University / Wyhenshawe Hospital, Leicester NIHR BRC, |
| Collaborator Contribution | Engineering expertise Xenon hyperppolarisation MRI sequence integration to scanners |
| Impact | First xenon lung images acquired at papworth 2020 first images at Aarhus 2020 first images at Columbia 2020 first COVID images at Oxford 2025 first xenon images at Manchester 2023 first xenon images at UCL |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Xenon MRI technology enabling |
| Organisation | Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Enabled xenon MRI technology with installation of Sheffield xenon polarisers at Addenbrookes and Papworth hospitals in Cambridge, UCL, Columbia University, NYC, Kiel University , University of Oxford, AArhus university , Manchester University / Wyhenshawe Hospital, Leicester NIHR BRC, |
| Collaborator Contribution | Engineering expertise Xenon hyperppolarisation MRI sequence integration to scanners |
| Impact | First xenon lung images acquired at papworth 2020 first images at Aarhus 2020 first images at Columbia 2020 first COVID images at Oxford 2025 first xenon images at Manchester 2023 first xenon images at UCL |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Xenon MRI technology enabling |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Enabled xenon MRI technology with installation of Sheffield xenon polarisers at Addenbrookes and Papworth hospitals in Cambridge, UCL, Columbia University, NYC, Kiel University , University of Oxford, AArhus university , Manchester University / Wyhenshawe Hospital, Leicester NIHR BRC, |
| Collaborator Contribution | Engineering expertise Xenon hyperppolarisation MRI sequence integration to scanners |
| Impact | First xenon lung images acquired at papworth 2020 first images at Aarhus 2020 first images at Columbia 2020 first COVID images at Oxford 2025 first xenon images at Manchester 2023 first xenon images at UCL |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Xenon MRI technology enabling |
| Organisation | University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust |
| Department | Leicester Royal Infirmary |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| PI Contribution | Enabled xenon MRI technology with installation of Sheffield xenon polarisers at Addenbrookes and Papworth hospitals in Cambridge, UCL, Columbia University, NYC, Kiel University , University of Oxford, AArhus university , Manchester University / Wyhenshawe Hospital, Leicester NIHR BRC, |
| Collaborator Contribution | Engineering expertise Xenon hyperppolarisation MRI sequence integration to scanners |
| Impact | First xenon lung images acquired at papworth 2020 first images at Aarhus 2020 first images at Columbia 2020 first COVID images at Oxford 2025 first xenon images at Manchester 2023 first xenon images at UCL |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Xenon MRI technology enabling |
| Organisation | University of Kiel |
| Department | Neuropediatric Department Kiel |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Enabled xenon MRI technology with installation of Sheffield xenon polarisers at Addenbrookes and Papworth hospitals in Cambridge, UCL, Columbia University, NYC, Kiel University , University of Oxford, AArhus university , Manchester University / Wyhenshawe Hospital, Leicester NIHR BRC, |
| Collaborator Contribution | Engineering expertise Xenon hyperppolarisation MRI sequence integration to scanners |
| Impact | First xenon lung images acquired at papworth 2020 first images at Aarhus 2020 first images at Columbia 2020 first COVID images at Oxford 2025 first xenon images at Manchester 2023 first xenon images at UCL |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Xenon clinical trails consortium |
| Organisation | Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center |
| Department | Division of Rheumatology |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| PI Contribution | Founding member of consortium for development , evaluation and standardisation of imaging methods for outcome measures for clinical trials of respiratory therapeutics |
| Collaborator Contribution | evaluation and standardisation of imaging methods for outcome measures for clinical trials of respiratory therapeutic |
| Impact | none yet |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Zero echo time MRI collaboration with KCL |
| Organisation | King's College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Testing custom zero ectho time MRI pulse sequence for lung applications |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provided custom zero echo time MRI pulse sequence |
| Impact | Outcome: Received custom zero echo time MRI pulse sequence. Outputs: No outputs yet but planned submission of scientific abstracts to upcoming International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine meeting. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Title | NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE |
| Description | A passive filter circuit, for simultaneous dual-nuclear magnetic resonance quadrature transmit-receive that is configured to apply to an input a quadrature phase shift of a first polarity at a Larmor frequency of a first nucleus and a quadrature phase difference of a second polarity, that is opposite the first polarity, at the Larmor frequency of a second nucleus |
| IP Reference | WO2022269276 |
| Protection | Patent / Patent application |
| Year Protection Granted | 2022 |
| Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
| Impact | Licenced to RF coil company |
| Title | Pulseteq Licence |
| Description | Licence to build 3He body RF coil designed in this project to Pulseteq Ltd |
| IP Reference | |
| Protection | Trade Mark |
| Year Protection Granted | |
| Licensed | Yes |
| Impact | Unknown |
| Title | 1H lung MRI deep learning segmentation tool |
| Description | Configuration file for deep learning inference of 1H lung MRI segmentation. |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Dramatically reduced the time of lung segmentation, which is part of the analysis pipeline for our quantiative lung MRI metrics. Several publications from our group using this method. |
| URL | https://github.com/POLARIS-Sheffield/1H-MRI-segmentation |
| Title | Sheffield lung imaging toolkit |
| Description | Graphic use interface for qualitative lung imaging |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Transfer to sites in Newcastle, Aarhus and Columbia university New York |
| Title | Sheffield/GE Healthcare clinical lung MRI protocols for download |
| Description | User interface to download Sheffield developed and tested clincial lung MRI protocols for GE MRI scanners |
| Type Of Technology | New/Improved Technique/Technology |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Downloads form around the world |
| URL | https://polaris-sheffield.github.io/sheffield-lung-protocol/ |
| Title | xenon polariser and RF coils for lung MRI |
| Description | Xenon MRI hardware |
| Type Of Technology | New/Improved Technique/Technology |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Impact | New lung imaging technology |
| Description | Plenary Invited speaker |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Plenary talk at the British Chapter ISMRM meeting in Aberdeen |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Speaker at the ERS/ESPR Academy of Paediatric Chest Imaging |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gave a talk entitled 'The lung and MRI technology: what you need to understand about the combination' to 58 participants (paediatritians/radiologists/researchers) from 20 different countries and participated in discussions / informal interactions about the use of MRI in children during a 2 day workshop in Rotterdam on paediatric chest imaging. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.ersnet.org/events/academy-of-paediatric-chest-imaging/ |
| Description | Speakers at xenon clinical trials meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | J Wild and T Schirmer both spoek at the xenon clinical trials meeting Miami, Fl |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.129xectc.org/new-page-1 |