Canon Medical and Cleveland Clinic have announced plans to form a strategic research partnership to develop innovative imaging and healthcare IT technologies for improved diagnosis, care and patient outcomes. During a Nov. 27 press conference at the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting, RSNA 2023, executive leaders from both organizations described the establishment of a comprehensive imaging research center to be based in the Cleveland Innovation District.
November 27, 2023 — The executive leadership teams from Canon Inc. and Cleveland Clinic gathered early on day two of the Radiological Society of North America Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, RSNA 2023, to announce their intentions to form a strategic research partnership to develop innovative imaging and healthcare IT technologies aimed at improving diagnosis, care and outcomes for patients. The two organizations expect to establish a comprehensive imaging research center to be based in the Cleveland Innovation District which will potentially include shared workspace in an existing building in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood, adjacent to Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.
The initiative brings together a cross-institutional team of clinician scientists, researchers and engineers to pioneer state-of-the-art imaging technologies. Joint research projects will focus on cardiology, neurology and musculoskeletal medicine, and will have three major components – pre-clinical imaging, human imaging and image analysis. It will also enable local and global research collaborations, according to the executive leadership team.
“This unique collaboration leverages Cleveland Clinic’s expertise in biomedical research and clinical care with Canon’s global leadership in imaging innovation and precision manufacturing,” said Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., Cleveland Clinic CEO and President. Mihaljevic, holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair, added, “By combining our strengths, we aim to create breakthroughs in imaging and work together to rapidly translate these innovations to improve patient care.”
“Under Canon’s ‘Made for Life’ philosophy, we are dedicated to improving the wellbeing of patients everywhere through our innovations in technology,” said Toshio Takiguchi, President and CEO, Canon Inc. during the morning press announcement. “This collaboration with Cleveland Clinic allows us to use our mutual strengths to enable a future that delivers on this promise,” noted Takiguchi, adding, “We look forward to delivering on our combined commitments to the people of Cleveland and Ohio.”
In an interview following the announcement, Imaging Technology News’ Managing Editor asked representatives to describe what they see as most significant about the partnership moving forward. Their replies conveyed the enthusiasm that was palpable across the leadership teams of both organizations present who offered additional information on plans for the partnership.
Hiroyuki Fujita, Chairman of Canon Healthcare USA, Inc., told ITN: “This collaboration is going to bring the next level of innovations in healthcare, because we are going to work together side by side, where clinical needs will be identified right away — by our scientists, our clinical specialists and also engineers — to realize what patients need. Then, I hope that we are able to accelerate that product development to bring to the market so that patients would benefit from that.
For his part, Geoff Vince, Cleveland Clinic’s Executive Director of Global Innovations, Chair of the Biomedical Engineering department at the Lerner Research Institute, offered this: “I think for me, with Canon and Cleveland Clinic working together, there are so many synergies that we have with between the two institutions. Canon is a global industry serving patients all over the world. Cleveland Clinic is a global industry serving patients all over the world. We have a passion for research. It's more than a job, it's a passion. And I when you see what Canon has achieved, from the presentation this morning and the timeline, and what Cleveland Clinic has done over the past 100 years, the synergy is just natural. Beyond that, I think what is even more exciting is what we can do together in the future.
Also participating in the Nov. 27 announcement at RSNA 2023 was Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chief, Research & Academic Office at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Baiju Shah, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Remote comments on the partnership were shared by Ohio Governor Mike Dewine, and United States Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emmannuel.
More information: www.canonmedical.com and www.clevelandclinic.org
Follow ITN coverage of RSNA 2023 news and updates here.
April 25, 2024 
