MRI Technologies Lab

MRI offers unmatched soft-tissue contrast during cancer treatment, enabling radiation beams to adapt in real time to tumour motion and changing biology. Image X played a central role in the Australian MRI-Linac Program, a national research initiative that developed MRI-guided radiotherapy technologies now being deployed to clinical systems. Our group builds the real-time MRI reconstruction, AI-driven motion tracking, and adaptive radiotherapy methods that make this possible, with clinical translation supported by access to the Elekta Unity MRI-linac at St Vincent’s Hospital. 

70% of the world’s population has no access to MRI. Conventional scanners are too expensive, too heavy, and too demanding of infrastructure to reach most patients who need them. We are building the technologies that change this. Our work spans AI-based image reconstruction and enhancement, nanoparticle contrast agents that boost sensitivity at ultra-low field, and hyperpolarization methods including 13C MRI that unlock new contrast mechanisms for cancer imaging. We collaborate with Hyperfine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and other international partners to translate these advances into accessible, portable systems. 

Real-time MRI makes the inside of speech visible. By capturing the rapid, coordinated motion of the tongue, lips, and airway that produces sound, our methods open new possibilities for understanding and diagnosing speech production disorders. We work with collaborators in speech pathology (Health Sciences) to apply these techniques in clinical and research settings.