In the world of modern research, innovation rarely occurs in isolation. During the Research Days last October, the annual UMC Utrecht Team Science Award was awarded to team Neo-BRAIN. However, Team Science thrives across many other research teams at UMC Utrecht. In this series, we highlight a new research team each month, talking about how team science is at the heart of their work. This month in the spotlight: the EMMA study team, which focuses on high resolution medical imaging in premature babies.
When a baby is born extremely prematurely (≤28 weeks of pregnancy), an MRI is conducted around the expected due date. With help of this MRI, brain development and any potential brain damage in premature infants are examined. In routine clinical care, a 3 Tesla MRI is used for this purpose. This number indicates the strength of the magnetic field: the higher the Tesla, the sharper the images and the more specific information you can get out of the image.
The EMMA study explores the possibilities of using a stronger MRI (7 Tesla) for newborns. A few years ago, the team achieved a world first: “We were the first in the world to capture images of newborns in the 7 Tesla MRI scanner. In the first 20 babies, we observed promising results,” explains neuroscientist Inge van Ooijen. With this stronger MRI, they gain a clearer view of structures such as blood vessels, metabolism, and neural connections in the brain. “Ultimately, we hope this will allow us to predict children’s development with greater precision, enabling earlier and more effective treatment. It also enhances our ability to monitor treatment effects even more accurately.”
“This project requires expertise from various disciplines. For clinical background we rely on the neonatologists; for neuroimaging knowledge, the neuroscientist; for expertise on the 7T MRI and technical aspects, the biomedical engineers; for statistical expertise, the statistician; for radiological insights, the radiologist; for radiofrequency safety and scan development, the physicists; and for the design and development of the sound hood, the mechanical engineer.”
“All of these team members are essential in this project. They remain actively involved in accompanying patients to MRI scans, writing papers, analyzing data, and refining MRI protocols,” says assistant professor Evita Wiegers.
We showed over the past years that it is safe and feasible to scan infants at 7 Tesla MRI. The EMMA study is still ongoing, and we are about halfway with the inclusions and the study is progressing very well. We are very thankful for the parents and children who have already contributed to the study.
While we don’t have an official motto, “Happy Scanning!” captures our team spirit perfectly. We are happy to help each other in this project, but also in a broader context. To maintain a cheerful and productive atmosphere during scan sessions, we ensure to keep a positive atmosphere. For instance, we often share sweet treats, particularly during scan sessions that coincide with lunch breaks, to keep spirits high and energy levels up.
“Our EMMA study team currently consists of more than 10 researchers. It is a multidisciplinary team made up of neuroscientist Inge van Ooijen, biomedical engineers Lieke van den Wildenberg, Jannie Wijnen and Evita Wiegers, neonatologists Manon Benders, Floris Groenendaal, Jeroen Dudink, Maria Luisa Tataranno, Niek van de Aa, Thomas Alderliesten and Kim Annink, and radiologist Maarten Lequin and Rutger-Jan Nievelstein. Additionally, the support of physicists Hans Hoogduin and Edwin Versteeg, as well as MR specialists Fredy Visser and Mark Gosselink, is crucial to ensure MRI safety. This was of great importance, as no one had ever scanned newborns with a 7 Tesla MRI scanner before.
Read here about the winner of the 2024 Team Science Award, team Neo-BRAIN.
