Summary: University Hospitals Cleveland (UH) and Siemens Healthineers have launched a 10-year strategic alliance focused on enhancing oncology, cardiovascular, and neurovascular care in Ohio. This partnership will develop new MR technologies and improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for diseases including Alzheimer’s and certain cancers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The alliance promotes innovative research in magnetic resonance and advanced imaging technologies.
  • It aims to enhance diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease using advanced PET/CT and MR scanners.
  • The partnership will improve cardiovascular and cancer care through the latest imaging technology and integrated treatment approaches.

University Hospitals (UH) and Siemens Healthineers announced a 10-year strategic alliance that will support UH’s focus on improving oncology, cardiovascular, and neurovascular care for patients in Ohio.

Siemens Healthineers and UH will look to also advance the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and use theranostics—combining the approaches of diagnostics and therapeutics—to treat patients with advanced forms of certain cancers, as well as develop new MR technologies.

“University Hospitals shares its excitement in expanding its ongoing collaborative relationship with Siemens Healthineers, which has resulted in important improvements in magnetic resonance imaging,” said Paul Hinchey, MD, MBA, chief operating officer, University Hospitals. “We now anticipate the growing benefits from extending the latest technology innovation to our northern Ohio community.”

MR Technology Research

The strategic alliance complements the research collaboration between Siemens Healthineers and the department of radiology at UH as well as a key academic affiliate, Case Western Reserve University, to develop novel technologies, with an emphasis on MR. Past research has included MR fingerprinting, a technique that helps clinicians make decisions based on digital tissue data rather than visual impressions. New research will partially involve the company’s 0.55T mid-field scanner that requires less than one liter of helium.

Alzheimer’s Treatment and Diagnosis

For neurology-related care, especially Alzheimer’s disease, UH Radiology will purchase positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scanners as well as a comprehensive portfolio of MR scanners, including 1.5-tesla and 3T scanners. The PET/CT scanners will help UH confirm the presence of amyloid plaques in patients suspected of having Alzheimer’s disease and the MR scanners will enable UH to monitor their treatment with emerging therapeutic drugs. On its main campus, UH will install an angiography system with particular benefits in interventional neuro procedures and stroke treatment.

CT Scanners for Cancer Care

The alliance will also facilitate UH deploying CT scanners at UH’s flagship Cleveland Medical Center and PET/CT scanners for cancer care at UH Seidman Cancer Center. PET/CT technology provides the tools to identify disease, thereby allowing clinicians to tailor detection and disease stratification, as well as therapy. Separately, Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, will provide linear accelerators.

Cardiovascular Services

The new alliance will also enhance cardiovascular services of the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute with the world’s first clinically available photon-counting CT scanner and the new dual-source CT scanner. It builds on a 2019 agreement that provided UH with CT, MR, and hybrid operating room technology for its Center for Advanced Heart & Vascular Care. Under the terms of the strategic alliance, UH will also acquire angiography systems that provide clear image quality and ultra-low patient radiation doses for image-guided cardiology interventions.