Canon to form R&D partnership with Cleveland Clinic

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Clinic and Canon Inc. have announced intentions to form a strategic research partnership to develop innovative imaging and healthcare IT technologies aimed at improving diagnosis, care and outcomes for patients. The two organizations expect to establish a comprehensive imaging research center.

The center will potentially include shared workspace in an existing building in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood, adjacent to Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.

The initiative brings together a cross-institutional team of clinician scientists, researchers and engineers to pioneer state-of-the-art imaging technologies. Joint research projects will focus on cardiology, neurology and musculoskeletal medicine, and will have three major components – pre-clinical imaging, human imaging and image analysis. It will also enable local and global research collaborations.

“Under Canon’s ‘Made for Life’ philosophy, we are dedicated to improving the wellbeing of patients everywhere through our innovations in technology,” said Toshio Takiguchi (pictured), senior managing executive officer, head of Medical Group, Canon Inc. “This collaboration with Cleveland Clinic allows us to use our mutual strengths to enable a future that delivers on this promise.”

At a press conference held in Chicago during the RSNA radiology conference, Mr. Takiguchi said the company had not yet reached a final decision on how much it will be investing in the research centre. However, he said it will probably be in the region of $300 million.

The center will be part of the Cleveland Innovation District, a more than $500 million public-private partnership that brings the State of Ohio and JobsOhio together with Cleveland’s healthcare and higher education institutions to accelerate research, create jobs and educate the workforce of the future. The potential synergy with the Cleveland Innovation District was one factor which attracted Canon to launch its new U.S. healthcare subsidiary, Canon Healthcare USA, Inc., in Cleveland in February 2023.

“This unique collaboration leverages Cleveland Clinic’s expertise in biomedical research and clinical care with Canon’s global leadership in imaging innovation and precision manufacturing,” said Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., Cleveland Clinic CEO and president, and holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair. “By combining our strengths, we aim to create breakthroughs in imaging and work together to rapidly translate these innovations to improve patient care.”

About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 77,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,658 salaried physicians and researchers, and 19,000 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,699-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, more than 275 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2022, there were 12.8 million outpatient encounters, 303,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 270,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org.