From muscle stiffness to vision loss and difficulty with coordination, the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) vary greatly from person to person, often from one day to the next.
“MS is highly unpredictable and can cause a wide array of symptoms, which makes it notoriously difficult to diagnose,” says UBC’s Dr. Shannon Kolind, an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine’s division of neurology. “For many years, patients were diagnosed through a long process of elimination — that is, until the arrival of MRI, which revolutionized everything.”
MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a powerful imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to generate a detailed map of internal organs and structures. In MRI brain scans of people with MS, for example, the white matter lesions characteristic of the neurodegenerative disease will appear as bright areas or spots.
“MRI is not just a critical diagnostic tool. It’s essential for monitoring disease progression and guiding treatment decisions for patients over time,” says Dr. Kolind, a researcher at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.
Unfortunately, MRI machines — and the incredible insights they offer — come with limitations. Their massive size, high cost and operational complexity mean that patients with non-urgent health issues can wait months for an appointment, and those living in rural and remote regions of B.C. must travel to hospitals where MRI suites are available. For people living with MS, who can face mobility challeges as the disease progresses, those distances become increasingly difficult to traverse.
A personal connection
Advancing research that makes a difference in people’s lives is not just important, it’s essential for UBC’s Dr. Shannon Kolind, whose grandfather was diagnosed with MS decades ago.
“When you can see how your research connects to the patient, that’s everything,” she says.
Today, Dr. Kolind encourages UBC learners and research graduate students who she mentors to spend time in the clinic, meeting and learning from patients and families impacted by MS.
But today, thanks to new portable MRI technology and advances in research right here at UBC, hope is on the horizon.
“The amazing thing about this scanner is you can take it to the patient,” says Dr. Kolind, a medical physics expert who returned to UBC after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroimaging at the University of Oxford and King’s College London.
Dr. Kolind and her team are among the first researchers in Canada testing the power of low-field portable MRI, looking specifically at how the technology (which produces images with somewhat different contrast and resolution than what is typically generated by a traditional MRI) can be applied in the context of MS for clinical use and clinical trials.
Set on wheels, the portable MRI machine can be transported, plugged into the wall, and easily operated by non-specialists with something as simple as a smartphone.
About multiple sclerosis
MS is a progressive, life-changing autoimmune disease that affects patients in the prime of their lives, typically between the ages of 20-49. In MS, the immune system attacks the myelin sheath, an insulating layer that forms around nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with more than 4,000 people newly diagnosed each year.
The scanner — developed by the US-based company Hyperfine — relies on a very low magnetic field (64mT), barely stronger than that of a fridge magnet, which means it can be safely operated at a patient’s bedside.
Set on wheels, the machine can be transported, plugged into the wall, and easily operated by non-specialists with something as simple as a smartphone — making imaging tests more accessible, and early detection and treatment easier, for people living in rural and remote communities across the province.
“Portable MRI technology has the potential to be a real game-changer for MS and a wide range of other diseases, disorders and injuries of the brain — at home and around the world,” says Dr. Kolind. Right now, she and her team, including PhD students Sharada Balaji and Neale Wiley, are focused on developing imaging protocols, or instructions, for the scanner so that it can be used to detect and monitor the progression of MS-related tissue damage in the brain.
With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and as part of a much bigger initiative known as the Ultra-Low field Neuroimaging in the Young (UNITY) project, Dr. Kolind and her team are also working with a variety of partner sites across Sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia.
“We’re helping to develop the imaging protocols that will be used by partner sites to conduct large-scale pediatric studies examining the effect of malnutrition on brain development and evaluating the impact of interventions.”
Dr. Kolind with her grandfather, who was diagnosed with MS decades ago. Credit: Shannon Kolind
During her most recent trip to Africa and Bangladesh — where she was joined by Balaji and UBC neurologist Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, director of UBC’s MS/MRI Research Group — Dr. Kolind was reminded of the power of partnership.
“While the focus of our research is different — with ours examining neuro-degeneration with the aim of supporting MS patients, and theirs on neuro-generation with the hope of helping children thrive — we’re learning so much from each other and are able to apply lessons from our diverse studies for the benefit of all,” she says.
Here in Canada, interest in portable MRI technology continues to grow rapidly. Since receiving the Hyperfine scanner only a few years ago, Dr. Kolind’s work at UBC has sparked conversations with health authorities around the province of British Columbia interested in the technology.
In the years ahead, she hopes to extend her research on portable MRI beyond MS, recognizing the technology’s incredible potential to detect and monitor other neurological conditions, ranging from brain tumours to stroke.
“Portable MRI has the power to really revolutionize healthcare and improve the lives of so many patients here in B.C. and around the world,” Dr. Kolind says. 
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