A pioneer in the development of next generation MRI coils allowing advanced scanning has been honoured at Scotland’s Life Sciences Awards for its forward-thinking partnership approach

Engineering company MR CoilTech received the Innovative Collaboration Award at the prestigious gathering of Scotland’s life sciences industry leaders and trailblazers held last Thursday at the DoubleTree Hilton in Glasgow.

MR CoilTech was recognised for leading a pioneering partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the University of Glasgow, and Wideblue Limited.

According to judges, “the team combined clinical insight, physics, and engineering to achieve unmatched imaging resolution, signal quality, and ease of use”.

They added: “Now widely adopted by leading research institutions, the Neurocam 7T is setting new industry standards and advancing global brain research.”

Organisers noted that this year’s award winners “raised the bar for innovation, collaboration, and leadership in Scotland’s dynamic life sciences sector”.

MR CoilTech designs, tests and manufactures specialised radiofrequency (RF) coils, the devices responsible for generating and receiving the signal required to produce images of the body, for new generation, ultra-high field MRI scanners.

InnoScot Health signed a contract with Glasgow-based MR CoilTech in 2022 to provide and implement an ISO13485:2016 Quality Management System.

Since then, InnoScot Health has provided regulatory advice and support and project management for the continuing development of head coils for research, playing a significant role in helping the company navigate the regulatory landscape.

This resulted in MR CoilTech receiving globally recognised ISO 13485:2016 accreditation in 2023 after being accredited by the British Standards Institution (BSI) for operating a compliant Quality Management System and meeting strict guidelines.

The 25^th anniversary of Scotland’s Life Sciences Awards were preceded by the inaugural addition of a conference segment which saw InnoScot Health’s Head of Regulatory Affairs, Elaine Gemmell, commanding a dual role as keynote speaker and panel chair.

Congratulating MR CoilTech on its award, she said: “It’s clear that the company was a standout in the Innovative Collaboration category, reflecting its status as a leading engineer of custom-built RF coils.

“We are proud to be working closely with this key homegrown enabler of greater resolution scanning, supporting researchers to learn more about conditions in greater detail than previously possible, and congratulate the team on its award success.

“With rapidly growing interest in MR CoilTech’s products from commercial partners and MRI research centres worldwide, I expect this Life Sciences Awards recognition will only enhance that.”

Chief Operations Officer at MR CoilTech, Russell Overend said: “We were delighted to win the Innovative Collaboration award in this highly competitive category.

“The win rewards the detailed work carried out by the University of Glasgow, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and Wideblue on highly technical modelling, electronics, ergonomics and mechanical design whilst managing to deliver an intuitive operation and excellent imaging performance.

“With InnoScot Health assistance, we have already achieved accreditation to ISO13485:2016 and are now working with InnoScot Health towards CE marking and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals.”

Mark Cook, Co-Chair of the Industrial Leadership Group, opened the ceremony before welcoming MSP Richard Lochhead, Minister for Business, who spoke about Scotland’s thriving life sciences industry and its contributions to innovation, investment, and global healthcare advancements.

Organisers said the ceremony “brought together the industry’s brightest minds to celebrate those whose groundbreaking contributions are driving progress and shaping the future of life sciences”.