OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM (February 08, 2019) – MEGIN is pleased to announce that the University of Oxford is the first in Europe to acquire the latest technology in functional brain imaging. TRIUX™ neo, a magnetoencephalograph (MEG), is a highly sensitive non-invasive system for mapping the human brain. The new MEG system will be installed at the Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (OHBA) and will be in use from late spring 2019.
OHBA is part of the Wellcome Center for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), which is a multi-disciplinary facility and internationally renowned for its translational research of the human brain. Janne Huhtala, CEO of MEGIN, said, “We are excited to continue working with OHBA’s globally-accomplished team that has made significant contributions to the advancement of MEG technology with our latest advanced MEG system. TRIUX neo is a robust system for clinical and research use for significant translational research.”
The TRIUX neo can detect and localize neural events that are generated in the brain with millimeter accuracy and millisecond resolution. Precise detection and localization of brain function can guide neurosurgery to prevent neurological complications and can lead to major breakthroughs in diagnostics. In addition, the new TRIUX neo completely circumvents helium loss through an integrated closed loop recycler, which will address environmental issues, economic waste and concerns for future world supplies of helium.
With the installation of the TRIUX neo and the development of advanced analysis methods, OHBA plans to develop new sensitive and specific biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric conditions. Ongoing clinical research projects that rely on MEG include investigations into motor neuron disease, bipolar disorder, psychosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and eating disorders.
“MEG can transform translational human neuroscience. Its sensitivity to synaptic activity can reveal specific deficits in the activity patterns and communication within human brain networks related to different neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions,” said Professor Kia Nobre, director of OHBA. “We are excited to ensure MEG is a core method within all our major translational and clinical neuroscience programmes to provide powerful and selective new biomarkers and to guide treatment development.”
Professor John Geddes, Director of the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and Head of Department of Psychiatry, said, “The TRIUX neo MEG scanner is fundamentally important for the continuation of our world-leading translational research aimed at discovering and testing new treatments and procedures for people with mental health and brain disorders. It will add enormously to our ability to visualize and measure brain activity – and will support the work of researchers both within the Department and the wider University.”
“MEG is the only tool that can provide a direct and precise measure of brain activity at the time-scales of typical human cognition, which makes it an essential tool in both discovery science and in WIN’s aim to bridge neuroscience research between laboratory neuroscience and human health,” stated Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg, director of WIN.
The new TRIUX neo will further improve OHBA’s ability to conduct game-changing research into biomarkers for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, an ambition shared between MEGIN and the University of Oxford.
About University of Oxford / OHBA
The Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (OHBA) is a multi-modality translational neuroimaging facility based at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford. OHBA is part of the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), and the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR OH BRC). Collectively these centres are committed to research and the translation of scientific discovery into benefits for patients.
About MEGIN
MEGIN is a neurosciences technology company focused on developing innovative solutions for functional brain imaging. Based in Helsinki, Finland, MEGIN, formerly owned by Elekta, has been the leading provider of MEG technology for functional brain imaging for over 30 years. TRUIX™ neo, launched in 2018, is the fourth-generation system introduced for the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy, brain tumours or other lesions, and surgical planning for localization of sensory information. With a dynamic view of the human brain, TRIUX neo provides a non-invasive, real time view of patient specific neural activity with millimeter accuracy and millisecond resolution.