Siemens Healthineers and Biogen, a biotechnology company focused on neurological and autoimmune conditions, have announced plans to develop new MR applications for quantifying key markers of multiple sclerosis progression.

According to Dr. Christoph Zindel, senior vice president of MR at Siemens, the companies intend to create a solution that can be integrated into a hospital's existing radiology workflow.

While physicians already use MR routinely to diagnose MS, measure disease activity and monitor treatment response, studies suggest quantitative MR measures may provide even more value — but it's an area largely limited to research.
Automated MR applications that assess key markers of MS, including T2 lesions and brain atrophy, would help to bring quantitative MR into clinical use.

In 2014, research was published in the journal Radiology on a new MR technique called macromolecular proton fraction mapping. It revealed that patients with MS lose myelin in the gray matter of their brains and that it's closely tied to how severe the disease is.

Previously, MS was thought to be a disease that affected the brain's white matter because myelin is more prevalent there. However, MPF mapping found that a small amount is present in gray matter.

“Biogen believes that the availability of high-quality, standardized data at the point of care can lead to a deeper understanding of MS, more informed treatment decisions and, ultimately, improved patient outcomes,” said Dr. Richard Rudick, vice president, development sciences, Biogen, in prepared remarks accompanying the Siemens partnership announcement.

“We also recognize that the ability to generate research-quality data in the course of routine clinical practice can unlock the potential of the health care system to move toward precision medicine," Rudick added.

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