Safer brain surgery

A made-in-Canada intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system has been making waves in operating rooms around the world since 2005. The first of its kind, the system helps guide surgeons by taking images of a patient’s brain during surgery.

Developed by neurosurgeon Garnette Sutherland of the University of Calgary and research scientists at the National Research Council Canada, the invention led to the creation of IMRIS Inc., a Winnipeg-based company that now employs 170 people.

A publicly traded medical device manufacturer, IMRIS has successfully commercialized the technology ― known as the VISIUS Surgical Theatre ― which generated sales of $70 million (U.S.) in 2010. As of September 2011, 49 systems had been sold worldwide and used to treat 6,100 patients.