Welcome from the Chair – Alison Tree, MD
Chair of the MR-Linac Consortium Clinical Steering Committee
During the lifetime of the Consortium, we have striven to create a welcoming environment that supports and encourages research, global partnerships, and communication within our membership.
This website has been created to help you get started in our community and to understand the structure and function of the MR-Linac Consortium. It is filled with useful information that will help you understand what we do and how we are advancing the boundaries of MRinRT.
Alison Tree
Watch Alison explain the Consortium’s aims in the video below
Consortium Breakdown
The MR-Linac Consortium is a voluntary group that works together to improve radiation therapy for patients. They focus on using a special technology called Magnetic Resonance guided Radiation Therapy (MRgRT) and sharing the best ways to use it.
This group includes both industrial and academic hospital partners. They work together to make the most of a machine called Unity, which is an MR-Linac device. The Unity device integrates MRI technology with a linear accelerator to deliver radiation therapy. This combination helps doctors target tumors more accurately and adjust the treatment as needed during the process.
The Consortium supports this work by offering organizational help, technical solutions, and funding. The actual research and publications are done by the hospitals and clinics that are part of the group. Many of these studies use data from the MOMENTUM registry, which collects detailed information on patients treated with the Unity MR-Linac. This data helps researchers evaluate the effectiveness and safety of MRgRT and develop new treatment strategies.
The R-IDEAL framework is a structured approach used to evaluate new technologies in radiation therapy. It helps researchers and clinicians identify where a new technology can be most beneficial and where it might not work well. The framework is divided into several stages, each focusing on different aspects of the technology’s development and impact.
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Stage 1 and 2a: Feasibility
- In these stages, researchers assess whether the new technology can be practically implemented. They look at whether it is technically possible to use the technology in a clinical setting and if it can be integrated into existing treatment protocols.
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Stage 2b and 3: Effectiveness
- These stages focus on comparing the new technology to standard treatments. Researchers conduct studies to determine if the new technology is more effective than current methods. They evaluate its ability to improve patient outcomes, such as reducing tumor size or minimizing side effects.
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Stage 4: Long-term Impact
- In this stage, researchers examine the long-term effects of the new technology. They look for any adverse effects that might appear over time and assess the overall impact on patient health and quality of life.
By following the R-IDEAL framework, researchers can systematically evaluate new technologies, ensuring they are safe, effective, and beneficial for patients. This approach helps accelerate the identification of promising innovations while also highlighting areas where the technology may not be feasible or effective.
The Hypothesis Testing Program (HTP) aims to enhance the amount of clinical evidence available for Magnetic Resonance guided Radiation Therapy (MRgRT) and foster collaborations between hospitals and clinics around the world. This program is unique among medical technology companies because it focuses exclusively on MRgRT, which combines MRI imaging with radiation therapy to provide more precise and effective treatments.
The HTP is designed to support researchers and clinicians who use the Unity MR-Linac device. This device integrates MRI technology with a linear accelerator, allowing doctors to see tumors in real-time and adjust radiation therapy accordingly. By using Unity, clinicians can produce strong clinical evidence that demonstrates the value of MRgRT.
One of the key goals of the HTP is to build relationships between different institutions that use Unity. This collaboration helps share knowledge, improve treatment methods, and generate high-quality evidence. The program provides funding and organizational support for large-scale clinical trials, which are essential for proving the effectiveness and safety of MRgRT.
The HTP also leverages data from the MOMENTUM registry, an international database that collects detailed information on patients treated with the Unity MR-Linac. This data is crucial for evaluating the long-term impact of MRgRT and developing new treatment strategies.
Overall, the HTP is a groundbreaking initiative that aims to advance the field of radiation therapy by supporting research, fostering collaboration, and generating strong clinical evidence.
The main aim of MOMENTUM is to provide solid prospective evidence of the effectiveness of MR-guided radiotherapy. The primary goal of the MOMENTUM study is to gather robust, forward-looking data to demonstrate how effective MR-guided radiotherapy is in treating cancer.
The MOMENTUM repository includes patients with 34 different tumor types. The study’s database contains information from patients with a wide variety of cancers, covering 34 different types of tumors. This diversity helps in understanding the effectiveness of the treatment across different cancer types.
17 institutions in Europe, North America, and Australia are currently actively enrolling patients. The MOMENTUM study is a collaborative effort involving 17 different institutions across three continents, which are actively recruiting patients to participate in the study.
In MOMENTUM, patients are in control: they decide if, by whom, and for what purpose (academic research, product development) their data can be used. One of the unique aspects of the MOMENTUM study is that it empowers patients by giving them control over their data. Patients can decide whether their data can be used, who can use it, and for what purposes, such as academic research or product development.
In MOMENTUM, we collect technical data, clinical data, and patient-reported outcomes (PROMs). The study collects a comprehensive set of data, including technical details of the treatment, clinical outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes (PROMs), which provide insights into the patients’ perspectives on their health and treatment.
MOMENTUM serves as a clinical trial platform, facilitating prospective (randomized) trials, such as HERMES, UNITED, and DESTINATION 1 & 2. The MOMENTUM study also acts as a platform for conducting other clinical trials. It supports prospective and randomized trials like HERMES, UNITED, and DESTINATION 1 & 2, which aim to explore various aspects of cancer treatment.
Today, the technical repository of MOMENTUM holds almost 170,000 annotated MRI scans. The study has amassed a vast repository of nearly 170,000 MRI scans, each annotated with relevant information. This extensive collection of imaging data is invaluable for research and improving treatment techniques.
