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May 18, 2021

Former Canon Medical employee wins Medal with Purple Ribbon in Spring of Reiwa 3.

Former Canon Medical employee, Mitsue Miyazaki, has been awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in the Spring of Reiwa 3 for her contribution to the development of an MRI device that can visualize blood vessels without using contrast media.
The Medal with Purple Ribbon is a national award given to individuals who have achieved outstanding results in academic research, art, and culture.
Mitsue Miyazaki says of the prize, “I am honored to receive the Medal with Purple Ribbon in the field of Medical Imaging from the Emperor of Japan. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to our collaborators, and I hope this medal will lead to further advancements in the field of MRI.”

[summary of achievements]
Blood vessel examinations using an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) device use contrast medium in the blood vessels to enhance blood signals. In addition to the pain of injection and the risk of side effects caused by contrast media, problems can occur where it is not possible to clearly depict areas where contrast medium does not easily flow and where blood vessels may have slow blood flow. The award winner’s newly conceived concept was to draw the blood itself as a signal source by utilizing the difference in signal attenuation characteristics between blood and background tissue in the magnetic resonance, and by imaging in synchrony with the electrocardiogram, the contrast medium was created and in 1998, we established a non-contrast MR angiography method (FBI method) that enables stable and clear depiction of blood vessels without using contrast media by imaging in synchrony with the electrocardiogram.　Furthermore, a technique for separating blood vessels into arteries and veins by differentiating between diastolic and systolic images of heartbeat synchronization (arteriovenous separation method), and by giving a magnetic label to the blood to be observed, only the blood vessels required for each disease are visualized. We developed the technology (Time-SLIP method) and quickly commercialized an MRI device (EXCELART manufactured by Toshiba) equipped with these technologies.

[industrial applicability]
The present invention expands the scope of application to children and the elderly who have had difficulty with contrast media. It also performs vascular screening tests for preventive medicine, comparison before and after treatment, and repeated tests necessary for follow-up.
Being able to conduct exams safely contributes widely to the development of advanced medical technology. Currently, all Canon Medical Systems MRI devices are equipped with the technology and it is widely used in clinical settings to provide a patient-friendly examination environment.


【Winner】
Ms. Mitsue Miyazaki
based on Canon Medical Systems Co., Ltd. President Supplementary
incumbent University of California, San Diego Department of Radiology, Professor

[Major Awards]
2009 The National Commendation for Invention
2011 The Ichimura Prize in Industry
2012 The Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology