Z43 at the BMES-FDA Conference and ISO 10974 Joint Working Group in Washington DC, March 19-22

The BMES-FDA Frontiers in Medical Devices Conference took place in Washington DC this week, with a focus on personalized patient healthcare and many references to the "digital twin" concept. ZMT was a gold sponsor for the event and also hosted a successful workshop on the first day, where around 50 visitors were able to learn more about how the newest neuro-functionalized Korean Virtual Population (ViP) models Yoon-sun and Jeduk will fit into their workflows, whether they are using Sim4Life, the MRIxViP2.0 database, or any other application of the ViP. At the conference, the IT’IS Foundation presented their work within the scope of NIH SPARC initiative to develop an online simulation platform for hosting computational models developed by SPARC investigators, as well as an analysis of the impact of small blood vessels on cooling during exposure to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Concurrently with the conference, the ISO 10974 Joint Working Group (JWG) met to discuss safety aspects of the electromagnetic compatibility of active implants during MRI exposures. The working group is moving towards publication of the first normative edition, IS1, in 2020. Among the many topics addressed by IT'IS and the other members of JWG were: the "Tier 4 lite" approach to the calculation of RF-induced heating with a numerically derived transfer function optimized for the in vivo tissue environment; the peak B₁ levels and shimming conditions achievable in 3T scans; an update of several informative appendices with the latest data; and a concentrated effort to clarify and rationalize the normative requirements throughout the standard. The meeting was presided by Mark Conroy and Curt Sponberg, who received a nifty new gavel!

For more information on the neuro-functionalized ViP and MRIxViP V2.0, contact IT'IS at virtualpopulation@itis.swiss.