Cook Medical, a large family-owned medical device company known for its focus on minimally invasive treatment options, has launched a new Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) division, marking a significant step forward in its commitment to transforming how complex procedures and unmet clinical needs are addressed.
According to Cook Medical, the iMRI division will collaborate closely with physicians, hospitals, and strategic partners to seamlessly integrate real-time magnetic resonance imaging. This empowers clinicians to visualize anatomy and instruments simultaneously, without the risks associated with ionizing radiation.
“We know that real progress happens when we listen to the people who use our products every day. The iMRI division is another example of Cook’s commitment to working alongside physicians to solve real challenges and improve lives,” Pete Yonkman, president of Cook Medical and Cook Group, said in a statement. “We’re proud to support clinicians with technology that helps them do their best work for patients while advancing patient care,” he added.
In its Q3-2024 results release, Profound Medical (NASDAQ:PROF; TSX:PRN) revealed that participants in its September ‘PRO-TALK Live’ had heard from representatives of Cook Medical and Siemens Healthineers (XETRA:SHL), who discussed their shared common vision with Profound of creating a total MR solution to support the Modern Treatment Pathway that allows for more accurate and precise prostate disease diagnosis, the TULSA Procedure, and follow-up.
The TULSA procedure, performed using Profound’s TULSA-PRO system, has the potential of becoming a mainstream treatment modality across the entire prostate disease spectrum; ranging from low-, intermediate-, or high-risk prostate cancer; to hybrid patients suffering from both prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); to men with BPH only; and also, to patients requiring salvage therapy for radio-recurrent localized prostate cancer. TULSA employs real-time MR guidance and AI-enhanced planning for precision to preserve patients’ urinary continence and sexual function, while killing the targeted prostate tissue via precise sound absorption technology that gently heats it to 55-57°C. TULSA is an incision- and radiation-free “one-and-done” procedure performed in a single session that takes a few hours. Virtually all prostate shapes and sizes can be safely, effectively, and efficiently treated with TULSA. There is no bleeding associated with the procedure; no hospital stay is required; and most TULSA patients report quick recovery to their normal routine.
On the heels of the Profound reveal, in December, it and Siemens Healthineers announced they had entered into a definitive co-sales and co-marketing agreement pursuant to which the companies will commercialize a new MRI-guided prostate therapy solution which combines Profound’s TULSA-PRO system and consumables with Siemens Healthineers’ Magnetom Free.Max MR scanner.
Magnetom Free.Max from Siemens Healthineers is an innovative MR scanner that combines a 0.55 Tesla field strength with advanced hardware design and the proprietary deep learning image reconstruction technology, Deep Resolve. The first and only open 80 cm bore system available on the market, Magnetom Free.Max also facilitates MR scanning for larger and/or claustrophobic patients, enhancing the patient experience. The magnetic field strength of 0.55 Tesla combined with the 80 cm open bore make Magnetom Free.Max a particularly suitable MR system for interventional procedures. Weighing only 3.2 tonnes and with a height of <2 m, Magnetom Free.Max is the most lightweight, compact superconducting MRI scanner ever offered by Siemens Healthineers. Its reduced size permits installation with only minimal structural modifications. Furthermore, where MR scanners typically require several hundred liters of helium and a quench pipe for cooling purposes, the new magnet of the Magnetom Free.Max uses only 0.7 l of liquid helium and no quench pipe, reducing lifecycle and infrastructure costs. For these reasons, Magnetom Free.Maxreduces the acquisition, installation and operating costs compared to those associated with conventional superconducting MR scanners, and has simplified MRI integration in locations previously not suitable for MR imaging.
Subject to the completion of the compatibility process of TULSA-PRO and Magnetom Free.Max, the companies said they expect to initiate sales of the total prostate solution sometime in 2025.
