MRI Ushers in An Era of Customized Medicine by Evolving from A Diagnostic Screening System to A Tool for Supporting Treatment Decision-Making

“Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is more than a simple diagnostic tool. It is the result of the state-of-art medical technology, offering customized treatment tailored to each patient,” said Ioannis Panagiotelis, Global Business Unit Leader for MRI at Philips, who met us at the head office of Philips Korea on April 4, 2025.  This means that MRI evolves from a diagnostic tool for disease ‘screening’ to a critical tool for ‘prediction’ and ‘treatment decision-making.’  The shift in the market is also becoming evident.  The global MRI market is expanding at an annual rate of over 5%, with projections estimating it will reach over $ 10 billion by 2030.

“In 1979, clinical MRI testing was first demonstrated in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Over the subsequent four decades, MRI has undergone continuous development, resulting in faster imaging speeds and enhanced diagnostic accuracy fueled by the demand for diagnosis. While the priority was image clarity in the past, the focus is now on more complex MRI techniques. MRI testing is gradually increasing to diagnose degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, alongside mental illness, vascular diseases, and spinal diseases.”

“Now, the global volume of MRI scans reaches 250 million each year.  It is notable that Asia accounts for over half of MRI tests.  While the demand for and volume of tests are increasing, there is a shortage of personnel to handle.  This is why Philips continues to develop technologies that can improve the efficiency of MRI systems.  To develop innovative technologies, we are closely working with clinical research institutions around the world including South Korea.”

‘MR 7700,’ a recently unveiled 3.0T MRI system, is the outcome of concentrated technological prowess of Philips.  By leveraging AI technology (SmartSpeed technology), it accelerates clinical scans nearly 3 times and achieves a resolution increase of up to 65%.  Mr. Panagiotelis said, “This technology enhances diagnostic confidence by clearly visualizing even fine, previously difficult-to-observe nerves.  We are actively applying AI technology to increase efficiency in imaging diagnosis, enabling faster and more accurate disease diagnosis.”

“We are getting positive feedback from hospitals that use our system with high satisfaction reported among their medical staff.  SmartSpeed technology applied to MR 7700 is updated annually.  A new version of the software with a two-stage AI engine will be released early next year.  I expect to get better feedback because it offers the experience of a better image resolution than we have now.”

“South Korea leads the best practice in the global MRI market, actively using the latest medical technology in the actual clinical settings.  Given the significance we place on the South Korean market important, we plan to further increase collaborations and investments going forward.”

Mr. Panagiotelis expressed his affection for South Korea through the interview.  Before releasing a product in the global market, we continue to collaborate with South Korean medical staff, valuing their feedback.  We talked about the MR technology that is being developed under the business agreements that Philips signed with major hospitals in South Korea last year.  He said, “We are gathering feedbacks through collaborations with 20 to 30 institutions around the world and particularly, discussions with South Korean medical staff are very helpful in establishing new technology strategies.”

“I am sure that it will continuously grow just as it has over the past 40 years.  The real surprise is that growth has halted.  MRI is a technology that visualizes areas undetectable by existing testing methods.  Now, even previously undetectable biomarkers can be visualized and analyzed.  A new era has dawned, enabling us to obtain substantially more patient information through non-invasive means.  This enables personalized medical care services that predict diseases earlier.  The main development strategy pursued by Philips is also in line with the development of MRI technology.”

“Philips’s innovation technology directions are largely defined by ‘automation’ and ‘quantification.’  The first direction is to enhance an autonomous MRI system.  We plan to implement an MRI system that can operate autonomously just like autonomous vehicles.  The currently applied AI-driven MR Workspace and SmartExam Protocol support the automation technology.  The quantification strategy as the second direction is biomarker-based technology development.  Beyond multinuclear testing, we will explore and quantify new biomarkers to improve diagnosis accuracy.  The strategy is the action plan to realize Philips’ vision of ‘Better care for more people’.”