Partnerships

Partnership with industry is essential to the success of the CDT. It enables translation of our research and strengthens our understanding of the commercial challenges in the medical imaging sector. There are many different ways for companies of all sizes and specialisms within the field to collaborate with the CDT.

Cat Kelly, Director of Clinical Informatics and Service at Perspectum Diagnostics: At Perspectum Diagnostics, we are delighted to be involved with the CDT. We are a CDT project sponsor and contribute to the Centre’s advanced training programme.

One of the key challenges we have faced, as a company, is finding scientists to work with that are both academically excellent and also able to identify opportunities for real-world application.

From our point of view, a novel idea is only as valuable as its application. In all my work with the CDT, I have always been impressed by the close interaction between scientists and those who are, or will be, delivering these innovations in clinical practice.

As new developments in AI, deep learning and applications in Big Data come about, it is becoming even more important to ensure that end users of our technology – whether clinicians or patients – are considered throughout the development process.

Like the CDT, Perspectum is a melting pot of different scientific disciplines. As we have grown in recent years, we have found that scientists that can communicate outside their own discipline are worth their weight in gold. The CDT’s interdisciplinary ethos and training programme ensure its students develop this valuable skillset.

Radhouene Neji, Senior Key Expert and Collaboration Manager for Magnetic Resonance at Siemens Healthineers: Siemens is involved with the EPSRC CDT in Smart Medical Imaging in various different ways, including sponsorship of several studentships, technology provision for research and, as one of Siemens’ imaging collaboration scientists based here at King’s, I myself am heavily involved with the students’ projects.

Many students use our technology to carry out their research, including one of the world’s first 7T MRI scanners released for clinical use, which requires in-depth technical expertise. I facilitate much of this research with support and supervision.

To address the clinical challenges faced by imaging professionals, it is vital to develop robust research methodologies. In this regard, the unique research-hospital environment of the CDT provides clear benefits over purely clinical environments or laboratories.

Collaborating with the CDT enables us to conduct research with access to patients. We can directly assess our work in a real-world environment and establish whether our products are ultimately fit for purpose. We also gain access to an interdisciplinary research-minded team of clinicians, engineers and scientists, whose collaboration is essential to producing successful methodologies. The students themselves are bright, innovative and very well trained.

• PICnet ITN
• Hybrid 2020 ITN
• BIOQIC
• IMLRS at DIKU
• DKFZ

• Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital
• Brigham and Woman’s Hospital at the Harvard Medical School
• Centre for BioMedical Imaging at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
• Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Department of Chemistry at Hong Kong University
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Mori Laboratory at Nagoya University