Cook Medical, Indiana University Partner on Interventional MRI Center of Excellence

March 12, 2026—Cook Medical announced it has selected Indiana University (IU) in Indianapolis, Indiana, as one of the first Interventional MRI (iMRI) Centers of Excellence.

The press release stated that the Center of Excellence builds on a 5-year agreement announced in 2025 between Cook Medical and the Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences (IU LAB) to translate IU research into real-world health care applications. The collaboration is designed to accelerate the advancement, validation, and clinical integration of innovative MRI-guided technologies and make certain medical procedures safer, more precise, and less invasive for patients, stated Cook Medical.

According to the company, the iMRI Center of Excellence is a coordinated model that combines device engineering, imaging science, and clinical research infrastructure to speed the development and adoption of MRI guided technologies in hospitals and health systems.

Cook Medical stated that IU will serve as the model site demonstrating the pathway for translating iMRI into future clinical practice. The university will create a working, real-world environment that hospitals and health systems can tour, learn from, and replicate as MRI-guided care grows in Indiana and beyond. The site will support physician training and knowledge sharing as adoption expands, while helping prepare a new generation of iMRI technologists and clinical staff needed to support MRI-guided procedures nationwide.

Additionally, Cook announced that IU and the company have launched two complementary initiatives spanning the full continuum of iMRI innovation, from advanced engineering of MRI visible devices to radiology and imaging research within the IU School of Medicine:

• The IU School of Medicine’s Medical Imaging Research Institute (MIRI) will serve as the clinical and imaging research hub for the iMRI Center of Excellence. MIRI will provide the imaging research and clinical research infrastructure, model iMRI suite, and dedicated personnel needed to validate, integrate, and translate MRI-guided technologies within real-world procedural processes.
• The FAMES–Cook initiative will drive breakthrough engineering innovation by combining materials science, computational modeling, and advanced fiber manufacturing to develop MR-visible and unique sensing devices designed specifically for interventional MRI environments.

These initiatives connect engineers, imaging experts, and physicians into one interdisciplinary system to accelerate translational research while positioning both organizations at the forefront of precision medicine, stated Cook Medical.