Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has long been celebrated for its unparalleled soft-tissue visualization, yet its integration into interventional suites has remained limited due to technical and workflow challenges. Now, Siemens Healthineers and Cook Medical are breaking new ground with their collaborative iMRI Suite, a turnkey, radiation-free interventional platform designed to bring precision, safety, and real-time imaging to procedures in oncology, pediatrics, and structural heart interventions. In this exclusive interview with Medtech Spectrum, Andreas Schneck, Head of Magnetic Resonance at Siemens Healthineers, and Peter Polverini, Vice President of Interventional MRI at Cook Medical, discuss how their partnership is transforming the interventional landscape by combining innovative MRI hardware, specialized devices, and comprehensive clinical training to make MR-guided interventions accessible, efficient, and safer for patients and clinicians worldwide.
What was the driving force behind this collaboration between Cook Medical and Siemens Healthineers, and how does it address longstanding barriers to bringing MRI into the interventional suite?
Andreas Schneck, head of Magnetic Resonance at Siemens Healthineers: Our partnership with Cook Medical is driven by a shared vision to set a new standard in radiation-free, image-guided interventional medicine – precisely to unlock the full potential of MR imaging in the interventional suite. At Siemens Healthineers, we are committed to breaking barriers to pave the way for new clinical opportunities and advance patient care. MRI has offered outstanding soft-tissue contrast for years, but technical and workflow limitations – like a confined scanner environment complicating access for physicians for example – have kept it from becoming a standard in interventions. Now, our dedicated MR scanner planned for the interventional suite with an extra-large, flaring bore is designed to provide the necessary access for interventions. Also, Siemens Healthineers is the first and only vendor of 0.55 Tesla MRI, uniquely positioned to support interventional MRI. The 0.55 Tesla field strength reduces metal artifacts and device heating, improving safety and device visibility – directly tackling longstanding technical barriers.
Peter Polverini, vice president of the Interventional MRI division at Cook Medical: Conventional instruments and monitoring equipment are often not safe or functional in the strong magnetic field. Other challenges, such as the need for specially trained staff, have made MRI somewhat challenging to integrate into the interventional suite. By joining forces, we’re bridging that gap: Siemens Healthineers provides the imaging platform and software, while Cook brings procedural expertise and develops devices purpose-built for the MRI environment. Customers tell us they want integrated, end-to-end solutions, not just equipment – and that’s exactly what this partnership delivers. Together, we’re offering hospitals a turnkey interventional MRI suite to provide radiation-free interventions, making MRI-guided procedures much more accessible and directly addressing what has held MRI back in interventional practice.
How does the iMRI Suite improve upon existing interventional approaches in terms of precision, safety, and patient outcomes, especially in oncology, pediatrics, and structural heart procedures?
Andreas Schneck: iMRI gives clinicians real-time visualization of soft tissue, without any ionizing radiation. That means, for instance, more accurate tumor targeting in oncology, safer guidance in pediatric cases where radiation is a concern, and clearer navigation in structural heart procedures. It’s not just a small improvement – it fundamentally changes what clinicians can see and do during interventions. This can ultimately lead to faster treatment initiation and improved patient outcomes. With dedicated software for MR needle guidance, physicians gain multi-planar, real-time needle navigation, ensuring a new level of precision and safety in interventions.
Peter Polverini: Our MRI-specific devices will be engineered to work seamlessly with the imaging systems from Siemens Healthineers. This integration ensures that instruments remain clearly visible, hit smaller lesions and are controllable under MRI guidance, helping physicians perform these delicate procedures with more confidence and accuracy.
You have emphasized the importance of eliminating ionizing radiation exposure for both patients and clinicians. How transformative could this be for the long-term safety and practice of interventional medicine?
Andreas Schneck: Eliminating the exposure to ionizing radiation is a game-changer. It protects both patients and staff, removes the need for lead shielding, and allows for safer procedures, especially for children and those needing repeated interventions. For clinicians, it means a safer work environment and the freedom to perform longer or more complex procedures without worrying about occupational dose. This shift eventually opens up interventional medicine to a broader range of patients.
The collaboration offers a complete framework - from suite design to training. How critical is this holistic approach for accelerating adoption among hospitals and interventional radiologists?
Andreas Schneck: Technology alone isn’t enough. Hospitals need a full framework: room design, equipment integration, staff training, and procedural guidance. The holistic approach of our partnership with Cook Medical lowers barriers to entry and helps hospitals move quickly and confidently into this new era of interventional medicine. We are already working with early adopters and building a network to gather further evidence, refine training, and expand access. Additionally, hospitals see an efficiency benefit: being able to shift certain procedures to MRI helps alleviate the backlog while creating a new imaging space where the most suitable modality can be chosen for each patient.
Peter Polverini: Training and support are just as critical as technology for long-term clinical adoption. The collaboration offers hands-on procedural training, iMRI suit training, on-site coaching, remote support, and structured guides. These programs empower teams with practical knowledge and procedural readiness, making the transition to iMRI seamless and scalable. Customers are excited – they’ve been waiting for the ability to perform interventions with greater precision, support, and without radiation.
Cook Medical is developing MRI-specific devices to complement Siemens Healthineers’ imaging systems. Can you share examples of how these two components integrate in practice to enable new types of procedures?
Peter Polverini: We’re developing MRI-specific devices, like biopsy and coaxial needles with proprietary markers for 0.55 Tesla MRI, enabling real-time, multi-planar needle interventions. Early use cases will focus on needle biopsies, and possible future extensions include cardiac and pediatric interventions and vascular access.
Looking ahead, how do you see the iMRI Suite evolving over the next 5–10 years, and what broader opportunities does this partnership open up in interventional medicine globally?
Peter Polverini: Our iMRI suite offering will continue to expand clinical possibilities by introducing this new interventional environment. Both Siemens Healthineers and Cook Medical are committed to continuous innovation, joint training, and global market development to better understand the broader clinical impact that iMRI can deliver. Our shared focus is on building a pathway from early adoption at KOL and university centers toward broader use in community hospitals and even ambulatory surgery centers.
Andreas Schneck: While some university centers have already performed MR-guided procedures for years, globally only few procedures are currently performed with MRI. We expect adoption rates to increase significantly. By aligning real-time imaging and devices, we can unlock new therapies that were previously impossible. Our joint vision is for MR-guided interventions to become a standard of care.
