Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and GE Healthcare have announced that they will work together to develop collaborative research programs in the areas of imaging, cardiovascular medicine, and big data research.

The programs will be aimed at answering “fundamental questions in biology and medicine.”

"Through this collaboration, OHSU and GE Healthcare will apply leading-edge medical technology to a number of clinical challenges for which there is an unmet need," Daniel Dorsa, PhD, OHSU senior vice president for research, said in a statement. "We are excited about the possibilities."

"The core synergies between OHSU and GE Healthcare will help us achieve more than we could if working independently,” Bram Stolk, PhD, GE Healthcare vice president and general manager of global research, said in the same statement. “Together, we will place an emphasis on innovation and collaboration to solve for challenges in providing improved patient care and outcomes, which we're seeing both in Oregon and around the world.”

In December 2015, OHSU and GE Healthcare are scheduled begin launching pilot programs which will lead to more in-depth collaborations. The teams will investigate the use of ultrasound in rural and underserved communities, enhancing neurovascular studies through MR pulse sequences, and various other areas of research.