Making MRI-Guided Radiotherapy More Accessible Through Innovation

Radiation therapy (RT) remains a cornerstone of cancer care, used in approximately two-thirds of patients to precisely target tumors with high-energy beams from linear accelerators (LINACs). Accurate image guidance is essential for verifying tumor position and adapting treatment plans to daily anatomical changes, and motion management during treatment. MRI-guided RT (MRIgRT) offers major advantages over traditional cone beam CT (CBCT), including superior soft tissue contrast, real-time imaging, and the absence of additional ionizing radiation—making treatment both safer and more effective.

Clinical studies have demonstrated the value of MRIgRT across a range of cancer types, including pancreatic, liver, prostate, lung, and rectal cancers. However, broader clinical adoption has been limited by the high cost and complex infrastructure requirements of current MR-LINAC systems. With fewer than 150 installations worldwide, most clinics find these systems financially and logistically out of reach.

To address this challenge, we are collaborating with leading experts from Johns Hopkins University and UT Southwestern Medical Center to develop a novel, cost-effective solution: a custom-designed low-field MRI retrofit for existing LINACs. This system is designed to minimize magnetic interference and eliminate the need for major facility renovations—dramatically reducing installation costs.

The platform will be enhanced with an AI-driven software suite to support advanced image reconstruction, dose computation, and automated workflow integration. Together, these innovations aim to streamline MRIgRT procedures and bring the benefits of precision image-guided therapy to a broader range of clinical settings.