Wellumio, a New Zealand-based medical device company, has enrolled the first patient in an Australian clinical trial evaluating its portable MR device, Axana, for rapid stroke detection.

The study aims to assess the feasibility, safety, and usability of the 0.1T Axana system in emergency settings.

Axana is designed to perform MR-based stroke imaging at the patient’s bedside, using Pulsed Gradient Free Mapping (PGFM) technology to identify stroke biomarkers, such as molecular diffusion detected by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).
The study, titled "Feasibility, safety, and usability assessment of the Wellumio 'Axana' 0.1T portable magnetic resonance imaging device (Portable MR study)," is structured as a two-part, dual-center observational trial. Its primary objective is to evaluate safety and feasibility by determining whether the device can acquire usable scans in a hospital environment without technical faults. Secondary objectives include assessing the device’s usability, comparing its imaging results with traditional MR scans, and evaluating the reproducibility of its findings across multiple patients and scans.

The study is being conducted in collaboration with the Australian Stroke Alliance and is managed by Titan Prehospital Innovation, a clinical research organization.

"This innovative imaging approach to stroke detection has the potential to accelerate treatment and improve patient outcomes," said professor Stephen Davis, co-principal investigator. Professor Geoffrey Donnan, also a co-principal investigator, added, "Integrating this type of technology in the preexisting workflow by bringing MR imaging to the patient has the potential, if successful, to improve acute stroke assessment and treatment."

By enabling rapid stroke detection at the bedside, Wellumio aims to provide emergency physicians, neurologists, and radiologists with a new tool for timely intervention within the critical "golden hour" following stroke onset.

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