A recent article on research into hyperpolarized noble gas MRI stressed the importance of collaboration, an idea that dovetails nicely with the upcoming RSNA annual meeting in Chicago.

Publishing in Academic Radiology, Miranda Kirby, PhD, and Grace Parraga, PhD, of Robarts Research Institute in London, Canada, detailed their start-up experiences with noble gas MRI research. Using helium-3 and xenon-129, they evaluated pulmonary function in 330 subjects over a nearly six year period, and in the process showed that noble gas MRI research is feasible at smaller centers without significant human resources.

But Kirby and Parraga also noted that partnerships were at the heart of their work. Collaboration between radiology, imaging physics, pulmonary medicine and a mixture of public and private funding was essential to success.

“While the collaboration with the private sector was transformational, in parallel, scientific collaborations and a culture of supportive sharing and open communication with pioneers in the field at University of Wisconsin-Madison and at University of Virginia were invaluable,” wrote Kirby and Parraga.

This underscores the theme of the upcoming RSNA conference, which is “The Power of Partnership,” a message that couldn’t come at a better time. In a changing healthcare landscape, radiology must partner with other specialties and industry in order to thrive.

Many strategies on how to make the most of your collaborations will be on full display at the conference, and we hope you’ll follow Health Imaging’s coverage, both in our November/December print edition and online during the conference, to discover the latest in advanced visualization and all other aspects of medical imaging.

Evan Godt
Editor-Health Imaging