Local medtech partners with global giant for cardiac procedures

MedTech News: An ASX-listed developer of innovative MRI-compatible medical devices has partnered with a global medtech giant to perform real-time heart ablations using a mix of both companies’ technologies.

Imricor Medical Systems (IMR) and GE HealthCare have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will see cardiac ablations performed using Imricor’s catheters and disposable devices and performed on GE HealthCare’s MRI systems.

Under the terms of the MOU, GE HealthCare and Imricor will collaborate to interface Imricor’s Advantage-MR EP Recorder/Stimulator and northStar-MR 3D Mapping System with GE HealthCare’s MRI scanners.

“Imricor’s innovative technology has the potential to bring significant benefit to a large number of cardiac arrhythmia patients,” said Anja Brau, PhD, General Manager, GE HealthCare MR Clinical Solutions and Research Collaborations. 

“GE HealthCare has a long-standing history of applying MR to therapy guidance and control; we would be pleased to add Imricor’s capabilities to provide our customers with more options to treat their patients,” he said.

Imricor said it believed a successful collaboration would enable cardiac electrophysiology ablation procedures guided by real-time MRI.

The MOU was signed on January 24th, 2023, with an initial term of five years, and will automatically renew for one year every year unless terminated by either party.

“We are thrilled at the prospect of expanding the portfolio of MRI scanners that support Advantage-MR and Northstar-MR technology,” said Steve Wedan, Imricor’s CEO and Chair.

“The addition of GE HealthCare will give physicians and hosptials significantly more flexibility to use the MRI hardware of their choice, when providing real-time iCMR ablations for their patients. We are grateful to our existing customers who have embraced our real-time iCMR ablation technology, and look forward to making the benefits of this technology even more widely available.” 

The collaboration will involve developing hardware and software interfaces between Imricor’s devices and GE HealthCare’s systems.

IMR is aiming to allow sites with GE HealthCare MRI systems to participate in the company’s upcoming Vision-MR Ablation of Atrial FLutter (VISABL-AFL) clinical trial in the US and VISABL-VT trial in Europe.

This collaboration with GE means IMR now has collaborations with the world’s three major MRI manufacturers, including Siemens Healthineers and Phillips.

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