# Commercialization readiness of motion-robust brain MRI for pediatric healthcare

> **NIH NIH SB1** · TURING MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES INC · 2024 · $1,325,626

## Abstract

Project Abstract/Summary
 Motion related artifacts are a significant source of cost to the healthcare system. With over 12,000 MRI
scanners in the U.S. and estimates that $434,000 are lost per scanner each year, motion in MRIs is costing our
health care system approximately $4B yearly. Our FDA-cleared software solution Framewise Integrated Real-
Time MRI Monitoring (FIRMM) mitigates data lost due to motion. However, the majority of paying customers so
far are academic neuroimaging research centers; to ensure the commercial success of FIRMM, we need to
expand the customer base to advanced brain mapping for clinical care. The goal of this CRP application is to
fill the remaining gap in FIRMM’s path to clinical commercialization success by partnering with Philips to
complete and verify FIRMM and FIRMM-pix integration with their scanner environment. Pediatric advanced
brain mapping will serve as the initial proof-of-principle clinical market.
 Leading hospitals and device manufacturers have expressed enthusiasm to use FIRMM for clinical
care; however, two main barriers to clinical adoption remain: a reduction in technician critical decision making
and availability of a collection of motion tracking enabled navigator sequences for clinical care. Amongst the
leading MRI manufacturers, Philips has a specific focus on pediatric brain imaging, which includes patient
comfort solutions. Philips’ pulse sequence programming environment is unique in that it allows the addition of
navigator pulses to exciting sequences much more easily than competitors such as Siemens and GE.
Integrating FIRMM and FIRMM-pix navigated sequence package will create the first complete software-based
motion mitigation solution for clinical brain mapping. Integrating the FIRMM tablet Philips' will lead to a more
seamless integration into existing workflows; thus reducing the disruption to existing complex clinical
workflows.
 In addition, integrating the FIRMM tablet with Philips will help facilitate the wide-spread adoption of
FIRMM/-pix in the clinical market by obtaining widespread visibility via potential co-marketing with Philips and
other medtech companies. This CRP is perfectly positioned to put FIRMM and its subsequent products on a
pathway to long-term success.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10822107
- **Project number:** 1SB1MH135555-01
- **Recipient organization:** TURING MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES INC
- **Principal Investigator:** MAXWELL BERTOLERO
- **Activity code:** SB1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,325,626
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-15 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10822107

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10822107, Commercialization readiness of motion-robust brain MRI for pediatric healthcare (1SB1MH135555-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10822107. Licensed CC0.

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