Recently a new range of monoclonal anti-body drugs have been introduced which are intended to slow the progress of the disease by targeting clumps of the protein beta-amyloid which form plaques in the patient’s brain; plaques are a characteristic sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
The new head coil MRI scanner technology may provide super-fine resolution images which can potentially identify these plaques and monitor effectiveness of treatment.
The new technology could monitor the progress of patients taking these drugs, identify side effects and provide data on which patients could potentially benefit the most from these medications.
The University of Glasgow developed the first prototype of the head coil and Wideblue, a leading medical device product consultancy has worked on design modifications to make the head coil more comfortable for patient use.
MR CoilTech are now responsible for commercialisation and manufacturing of the device. Grant funding for the application to Alzheimer’s disease has recently been provided by Innovate UK and InnoSuisse.
Other project partners include medical imaging specialist Gold Standard Phantoms (who provide calibration products), Zurich-based Skope AG (another MRI innovation company) and Hopital Universitaire de Geneve.
Dr Euan McBrearty, Head of Commercial and Innovation at Wideblue said: “This project aims to develop advanced new MRI brain imaging equipment to provide much more data on the composition of the brain by providing unprecedented levels of detail. The hardware and software tools developed in this project have a clear purpose: to advance research in this field, enhance our understanding of the disease, and enable early detection. By allowing the safe use of new drugs that slow disease progression, the project directly contributes to improving patients' well-being.
It has been great collaborating with MR CoilTech, the University of Glasgow and the other technical and clinical partners on this project. MR Coiltech, University of Glasgow, the NHS and Wideblue were recognised in the 2025 Scottish Life Sciences awards winning the Innovative Collaboration Award Category. The resulting advanced MRI coil will aim to provide best possible tools for Alzheimers researchers to fully investigate the safe and effective use of these new drugs.”