Successful iHEALTH Delegation at ISMRM 2026
Between May 9 and 14, 2026, researchers from Instituto Milenio iHEALTH participated in the 2026 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition, held in Cape Town, South Africa. This is the most important annual international conference in magnetic resonance applied to medicine and biology, and this year marked a historic milestone: for the first time, it was held on the African continent.
The meeting was guided by the central theme of Ubuntu, a southern African philosophy that can be translated as "I am because we are," which ISMRM President Mark A. Griswold described as the spirit that defines the community: the conviction that individual achievements in magnetic resonance are inseparable from the community that sustains, challenges, and inspires them.
iHEALTH had a high-level presence, with a total of 32 presentations: 7 oral communications and 25 posters. Additionally, researcher Pablo Irarrázaval delivered the lecture Basic Science Research in Chile as part of the weekend course, with the aim of exposing ISMRM members to the realities of scientific research in resource-limited settings, and showcasing the ingenuity and creativity that emerge from these conditions.
Among the notable presentations was that of Fernando Ramírez, who presented the digital poster Characterization of cortical bone relaxation times at low magnetic field, in the Novel Visualization and Assessment of Osseous Tissues session. For Ramírez, the experience confirmed that Chilean research competes at an international level: "I was able to observe a large number of highly competitive projects and confirm that our level of research is on par with the international standard. We have the potential to generate relevant knowledge and actively participate in forums like ISMRM."
Felipe Ercoli gave an oral presentation titled High-resolution highly accelerated free breathing 3D joint T1/T2 and PDFF/T2* mapping of the liver at 0.55T, in the Quantitative Imaging: Multiparametric and Synthetic MRI session. Ercoli highlighted the value of scientific exchange: "It was a great opportunity to talk with people working on similar problems and challenges, and to learn about different methods currently being developed."
Carlota Rivera was also present and underscored the impact on networking: "You have the opportunity to share your work with people from all over the world who are researching similar topics. Networks are formed, collaboration opportunities arise, and there is a chance to learn a great deal from the experience of other researchers." Rivera presented the poster Deep Learning based automatic whole – left ventricle strain from a single breath–hold scan.
Recognitions
One of the highlights of iHEALTH's participation was the recognition received for the work presented by Pablo Irarrázaval — with Ronal Coronado as first author: the digital poster 3D T1/T2 mapping of prostate using DESPO+: a clinical feasibility study for prostate cancer assessment at 3T received the Magna Cum Laude award, one of the conference's most prestigious honors, recognizing outstanding work.
Regarding this, Coronado stated: "Participating in ISMRM is a fundamental milestone for those of us who research medical imaging. Having a presence in these spaces not only validates the quality of the science we are developing locally, but is key to building international collaboration networks that allow us to keep innovating and advancing health and technology in our country."
Additionally, the work Predicting Working Memory in Multiple Sclerosis using Machine Learning of Subcortical U-Fiber Fractional Anisotropy earned second place in the Research Focus Award, a distinction granted to the best research works presented orally at the annual meeting. The research is part of Cristian Montalba's master's thesis.
Here is the complete list of iHEALTH's participation:
Poster:
Carlota G Rivera Faúndez, Tomas Banduc, Rafael De La Sotta, Francisco Sahli Costabal, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto. Deep Learning based automatic whole – left ventricle strain from a single breath–hold scan
Dabne C Barrera, Rafael De La Sotta, Carlos A Castillo-Passi, Karl P Kunze, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto. Accelerated motion-corrected 3D whole-heart T2 mapping at 0.55 T
Dabne C Barrera, Dongyue Si, Nicolas Garrido, Felipe Ercoli, Carlos A Castillo-Passi, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto. Highly efficient simultaneous 3D joint T1-T2 mapping of the knee at 0.55T: Comparison of Cartesian and radial strategies.
Diego Pedraza, Dongyue Si, Karl P Kunze, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto. Cardiac Dixon MRF for Simultaneous T1, T2, T1ρ and Fat-Fraction Quantification at 0.55T
Guillermo Sahonero-Álvarez, Ronal Coronado, Carlos A Castillo-Passi, Pablo Irarrazaval. Modeling Tissue Signals from a Single Voxel Simulation
Sipan Hovsepian, Nayebare Maureen, David Rodriguez-Duarte, Guillermo Sahonero-Álvarez, Timon Machtelinckx, Ihssene Brahimi, Mayinja W Bob, Jennifer X Mifatu, Kidist Kebede, Maruf Adewole, Raymond Confidence, Marina Fernández-García, Johnes Obungoloch, Haile B Kassahun, Stefan du Plessis, Udunna Anazodo, Osama Abdullah. Modular Low-Cost 3D Magnetic Field Mapper Robot
Timon Machtelinckx, Nayebare Maureen, Marina Fernández-García Ihssene Brahimi, Guillermo Sahonero-Álvarez, Sipan Hovsepian, Mayinja W Bob, David Rodriguez-Duarte, Ali Akbarzadeh-Sharbaf, Pedram Yazdanbakhsh, Jennifer X Mifatu, Kidist Kebede, Maruf Adewole, Raymond Confidence, Johnes Obungoloch, Haile B Kassahun, Udunna Anazodo, Stefan du Plessis. Halbach Magnet Design and Optimization for a low-field Pre-clinical MR Scanner
Marina Fernández-García, Haile B Kassahun, Nayebare Maureen, Guillermo Sahonero-Álvarez, Sipan Hovsepian, Timon Machtelinckx, Ihssene Brahimi, Pedram Yazdanbakhsh, Ali Akbarzadeh-Sharbaf, Raymond Confidence, Maruf Adewole, Osama Abdullah, Johnes Obungoloch, Stefan du Plessis, Udunna Anazodo. Building MRI Capacity Through Open-Source Hardware and Hands-On Training: The IMAGINE Summer School
Haile B Kassahun, Nayebare Maureen, Timon Machtelinckx, Sipan Hovsepian, Ali Akbarzadeh-Sharbaf, Guillermo Sahonero-Álvarez, Marina Fernández-García, David O Rodriguez-Duarte, Mayinja W Bob, Ihssene Brahimi, Kidist Kebede, Jennifer X Mifatu, Maruf Adewole, Confidence Raymond, Pedram Yazdanbakhsh, Johnes Obungoloch, Osama Abdullah, Stefan du Plessis, Udunna Anazodo. Design and Construction of Gradient Coils for Low-field Halbach Array Scanners using the Discrete Wire Method
Nayebare Maureen, Marina Fernández-García, Guillermo Sahonero-Álvarez, Sipan Hovsepian, Beatrice Lena, Timon Machtelinckx, Mayinja W Bob, Noha Magdy Zayed, Mohannad Barakat, Ali Akbarzadeh-Sharbaf, Pedram Yazdanbakhsh, Christophe Vilmen, Joseba Alonso, Andrew Webb, Osama Abdullah, Johnes Obungoloch, Haile B Kassahun, Stefan du Plessis, Udunna Anazodo. A low-field MRI toolkit for hands-on MRI education: A pilot implementation at the 2025 ESMRMB Workshop.
Ronal Coronado, José Miguel González, Guillermo Sahonero-Álvarez, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto, Cecilia Besa, Pablo Irarrazaval. 3D T1/T2 mapping of prostate using DESPO+: a clinical feasibility study for prostate cancer assesment at 3T
Ignacio Contreras-Zúñiga, Carlos Milovic, Cristián Tejos. Detecting and Correcting Phase Unwrapping Artifacts for Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping
Javier Bisbal, Julio Sotelo, Hernán Mella, Oliver Welin Odeback, Joaquin Mura, David Marlevi, Tetsuro Sekine, Cristian Tejos, Sergio Uribe. Improved 4D flow MRI quantification in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Using Divergence-Free Neural Networks
Javier Silva, Michéle Steinrötter, Carlos Milovic, Beata Bachrata, Cristián Tejos, Simón Robinson. Characterizing the role of fat in body-QSM using SMURF water-fat separation
Marisleydis García, Eduardo Perez-Palma, Camilo Villamán, Gabriela Repetto, Nicolás Crossley, Carlos Milovic, Cristian Tejos. QSM and R2* Reveal Genetic Effects on Brain Iron in Psychotic-Like Experiences
Matías I Paredes, Dongyue Si, Andrew Phair, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto. Motion-Corrected Deep-Learning Reconstruction Framework for 3D Whole Heart Joint T1/T2 mapping at 0.55T
Raúl Fuentes, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto. Simultaneous contrast-free 3D carotid lumen and wall imaging at 0.55T
Sebástian A Ibarra, Steren Chabert, Ronal Coronado, Claudia Prieto. CONSIS-Net — Consistency-based Iterative Super-Resolution unrolled Network for low-field knee MRI
Mathias Lambert, Cristián Tejos, Carlos Milovic. Conformal Prediction for Rigorous Uncertainty Guarantees in Deep Learning-based QSM
Carlos Valle, Rodrigo Fuentes, Ignacio Celis, Rodrigo Salas, Jaime Retamal, Marcelo E Andia, Cecilia Besa. Functional lung motion and ventilation assessment using 3D cine low-field MRI at 0.55 T
Dongyue Si, Andrew Phair, Alina Hua, Simon J Littlewood, Michael Crabb, Haikun Qi, Tevfik Ismail, Claudia Prieto, René M Botnar. Highly accelerated 3D water/fat LGE imaging with deep-learning motion estimation and motion corrected reconstruction
Mingwei Sun, Jing Qin, Kai Wang, Ye Li, Jing An, Karl P Kunze, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto, Lin Lin, Bin Sun. MRI in Clinical Practice: Non-Contrast BOOST MRI for Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus Detection as a Clinical Alternative
Pablo Villacorta-Aylagas , Manuel Rodríguez-Cayetano, Carlos A Castillo-Passi, Pablo Irarrazaval, Federico Simmross-Wattenberg, Carlos Alberola-López. MRSeqStudio: A Free and Open-Source Web Application for MR Sequence Design and Simulation as a Service
Carlos Valle, Javier Castro, Matías Hernández, Rodrigo Salas, Jaime Retamal Ignacio Celis, Marcelo E Andia, Cecilia Besa. Single-subject atlas-based lung and lobe segmentation from 3D low-field MRI
Oral presentation:
Felipe Ercoli, Dongyue Si, Michael Crabb, Nicolás Garrido, Diego Pedraza, Karl P Kunze, Claudia Prieto, René M Botnar. High-resolution highly accelerated free breathing 3D joint T1/T2 and PDFF/T2* mapping of the liver at 0.55T
Fernando J Ramírez Sarmiento, Steren Chabert, Marcelo E Andia, Jean-Gabriel Minonzio. Characterization of cortical bone relaxation times at low magnetic field
Carlos Milovic, Ignacio Contreras-Zúñiga, Mathias Lambert, Cristian Tejos. Dipole-lets (𝔇): a new multiscale framework for MR phase/QSM analysis and reconstruction
Nicolás Garrido, Carlos A Castillo-Passi, Andrew Phair, Claudia Prieto, René M Botnar. Self-Navigated 3D radial joint T1-T2-FF mapping for isotropic resolution liver MRI at 0.55T in 4-min scan time
Jake Penney, Khalid Ambarki, Patrick Lehmann, Riccardo Sartoris, Valerie Vilgrain, François Rouzet, Aurélien Monnet, Hatem Necib8, Kaya Doyeux, René M Botnar, Claudia Prieto, Ralph Sinkus. MR-driven non-rigid motion correction for liver PET using a free-breathing iNAV-based 3D Dixon sequence
Cristián Montalba, Pamela A Franco Leiva, Macarena Vásquez, Juan Pablo Cruz, Claudia Cárcamo, Marcelo Andia, Ethel Ciampi. Predicting Working Memory in Multiple Sclerosis using Machine Learning of Subcortical U-Fiber Fractional Anisotropy
Donovan P Tripp, Anne-Sophie van Schelt, Omar Darwish, Karl P Kunze, Nader S Metwalli, Ahmed Gharib, Claudia Prieto, René M Botnar, Ralph Sinkus, Radhouene Neji. Single-breathhold 3D MR elastography in the liver, with simultaneous R2* and PDFF mapping
