Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research

What Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research does

CAI2R (Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research) is a National Center for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering operating within NYU Langone Health's Department of Radiology. Founded in 2014 and headquartered at 660 First Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, the center develops MRI methods, reconstruction algorithms, and hardware — including ultraflexible biomorphic RF coils, fast imaging sequences, diffusion MRI for tissue microstructure, and AI/ML models for image acquisition and reconstruction. Its research is oriented toward clinical applications in neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and oncological conditions, and it is currently funded by the NIH/NIBIB P41 mechanism (P41EB017183) plus philanthropy from the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation and The Big George Foundation.

CAI2R operates on an open-science model, distributing software products such as MP-PCA Denoising for MESE MRI, Quantitative Multicomponent T2 Myelin-Water Fraction Mapping, EMC-Based Quantitative T2 Mapping, the RICE Toolbox, a Vision Transformer Network for MR-EPT, and the GRASP/Yarra framework. Its flagship data asset, the fastMRI dataset, was co-developed with Facebook AI Research (Meta AI) and has been extended into breast imaging. The center serves academic medical researchers, clinical radiologists, medical imaging industry partners (including Siemens and Visage), and early-career imaging scientists through 70+ collaborative projects, 60+ service projects, the biennial i2i Workshop (780+ participants to date), and an ecosystem of 40+ partner institutions across 13 U.S. states and 10 countries.

Business-model mechanics are nonprofit and grant-funded rather than commercial: the center does not sell subscriptions or license software for revenue, and there is no disclosed ARR or pricing model. Indirect monetization occurs through OEM technology partnerships (Siemens, Visage), service projects billed to collaborators, and reputational spillovers into ISMRM governance (ISMRM Endorsed Workshop status in 2016, 2018, and 2026; ISMRM Junior Fellows in 2025; VP-Elect appointment for 2026-2027). CAI2R has produced 840+ publications, holds 40+ patents, and has logged 16,000+ software resource downloads, signaling scale of adoption that is unusual for an academic imaging center.

Name

Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research

Legal name

Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research

Website

https://cai2r.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CAI2R is a National Center for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at NYU Langone Health that develops MRI methods, AI-powered imaging algorithms, and open-source software tools for academic researchers, clinical radiologists, and medical imaging industry partners worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Imaging Research

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Radiology AI, CAD & Advanced Visualization Software (HLAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Biomedical imaging research
• MRI acquisition methods
• Deep learning reconstruction
• RF coil hardware design
• Translational radiology research

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: CAI2R is a National Center for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under award number P41EB017183. This NIH grant funding supports the center's research operations.
2. Philanthropic Support: Generous support from Bernard and Irene Schwartz and The Big George Foundation for radiology research at NYU Langone Health

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CAI2R develops novel MRI methods, algorithms, and hardware for translational biomedical imaging research, and shares these innovations as open-source software tools, datasets, and imaging frameworks. Its core offerings include fast MRI acquisition techniques, deep-learning image reconstruction algorithms, advanced RF coil hardware, tissue microstructure mapping, AI-based disease detection, and the fastMRI dataset. The center also delivers these capabilities through external Service and Collaborative Projects with academic, clinical, and industry partners.

Product overview

CAI2R is a National Center for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering that creates technologies for better acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis of medical images. The center operates as a research organization rather than a product company, sharing its innovations as open-source software resources and datasets. Its portfolio includes MRI processing tools (MP-PCA Denoising, T2 Mapping packages, RICE Toolbox), AI-powered imaging solutions (Vision Transformer Network for MR-EPT, breast imaging AI systems), the fastMRI dataset, and the GRASP/Yarra imaging framework. The center also hosts the biennial i2i Workshop for training and knowledge dissemination in biomedical imaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MP-PCA Denoising for MESE MRI An open-source denoising tool that uses Marchenko-Pastur principal component analysis to remove noise from multi-echo spin-echo MRI data, improving image quality for biomedical researchers working with quantitative MRI acquisitions.
• Quantitative Multicomponent T2 Myelin-Water Fraction Mapping Package An open-source software package that quantifies myelin content using multi-T2-component fitting of multi-echo spin-echo MRI data, intended for neuroscience and white-matter imaging research.
• EMC-Based Quantitative T2 Mapping Package Open-source software for quantification of T2 relaxation time and proton density from multi-echo spin-echo MRI data using extended phase graph modeling, for biomedical MRI researchers.
• RICE Toolbox (Rotational Invariants of the Cumulant Expansion) Open-source software for estimation of multiple variations of the cumulant expansion from diffusion MRI data, used for microstructural tissue characterization in biomedical imaging research.
• Vision Transformer-Based Network for MR Electrical Properties Tomography A 3D vision transformer-based neural network architecture for fast and accurate reconstruction of electrical properties (conductivity and permittivity) of objects and tissues from MRI data, plus synthetic phantom datasets and network weights, for biomedical imaging researchers.
• fastMRI Dataset A large-scale open MRI dataset developed by CAI2R with Facebook AI Research to accelerate AI research in medical imaging, including extensions for breast imaging to encourage new directions in AI research on MRI.
• GRASP/Yarra Imaging Framework An open imaging acquisition and reconstruction framework using golden-angle radial sparse parallel MRI for free-breathing abdominal and breast imaging, used by an international network of institutions.
• i2i Workshop A biennial training workshop devoted to emergent imaging technologies, bringing together experts from academia, industry, and tech for discussions on imaging hardware, software, image analysis, and image-guided therapy, with prior editions endorsed by ISMRM.

Quantifiable outcome

• 840+ scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• NYU Langone HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution providing the clinical research environment, facilities, and administrative support. CAI2R is a part of the Center for Biomedical Imaging in the Department of Radiology at NYU Langone Health.
• NYU Grossman School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic medical center partner providing the institutional home for CAI2R researchers and the clinical environment for translating imaging innovations into practice.
• SiemenscoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor technology partner with successful research collaborations in MRI technology development. Collaborations with NYU Langone's radiology department have focused on faster and shorter MRI exams while maintaining image quality, addressing access issues.
• VisagecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for AI imaging systems integration in radiology workflows. Collaboration focused on making AI systems interoperable and easy for radiologists to use within existing clinical systems.
• Northwestern UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive service project collaboration for quantitative detection of coronary microvascular dysfunction in long COVID patients using cardiovascular MRI. Researchers: Daniel Kim, PhD and Daniel Lee, MD.
• Medical University of South CarolinamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive service project for quantitative neuroimaging assessment of white matter integrity in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Researcher: Andreana Benitez, PhD.
• University of California at Los AngelesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive service project for quantitative MRI and deep learning technologies for classification of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Researcher: Holden H. Wu, PhD.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive service project for development of clinical CEST MR fingerprinting method for treatment response assessment in brain metastases. Researcher: Ouri Cohen, PhD.
• Weizmann Institute of SciencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration for cellular viscosity as a marker for Alzheimer's disease pathology using combined MR spectroscopy and PET study. Researchers: Ivan Kirov, PhD and Assaf Tal, PhD.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive service project for characterization of renal allograft fibrosis and prediction of outcome using quantitative MRI approach. Researchers: Sara C. Lewis, MD and Octavia Bane, PhD.
• Stanford UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConcluded service project for focused-ultrasound-mediated therapy and neuromodulation research. Researcher: Kim Butts Pauly, PhD.
• MIT Research Laboratory of ElectronicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaboration with MIT on electromagnetic simulations for MRI including the coupling matrix compression research led by Ilias Giannakopoulos.
• Harvard UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including tissue microstructure imaging with diffusion MRI, transcranial RF stimulation research, and workshop speaker participation.
• University of MinnesotamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConcluded service project for imaging human brain function with minimal mobility restrictions. Researcher: Michael Garwood, PhD.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Subtle Medical: AI-focused startup using deep learning to accelerate MRI and PET imaging, directly aligned with CAI2R's core MRI acceleration and AI reconstruction research thrust.
• Arterys: Cloud-native AI medical imaging platform with FDA-cleared deep-learning tools for MRI and CT, directly comparable in productizing imaging AI algorithms into clinical radiology workflows.
• Mayo Clinic Department of Radiology: Major academic radiology department with large-scale MRI research, NIH-funded centers, and translational imaging programs operating at comparable scale and breadth to CAI2R.
• Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging: Leading academic imaging research center (MGH/MIT) doing comparable MRI methods, AI, and translational imaging research, with similar NIH funding model and open-science orientation.
• Stanford AIMI (Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine & Imaging): Academic medical imaging AI program with parallel foundation model and clinical translation initiatives that directly compete for talent, grants, and industry partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• GE Healthcare: Major MRI and imaging equipment maker with substantial internal AI research teams. Overlaps with CAI2R's MRI acquisition and AI reconstruction focus, and competes for clinical adoption of AI-enabled imaging tools.
• Philips Healthcare: Global imaging equipment and clinical informatics vendor with broad portfolio overlapping CAI2R's MRI/AI research areas, including internal deep-learning reconstruction efforts in MR.
• Siemens Healthineers: Global MRI and medical imaging equipment manufacturer with whom CAI2R has active research collaborations and joint patent filings (e.g., AI muscle characterization). Comparable as both research partner and potential commercializer of MRI AI advances.

Emerging players

• Qure.ai: AI medical imaging company applying deep learning to radiology workflows. Comparable in deep-learning image interpretation, though primarily focused on X-ray and CT head/trauma use cases.
• Hyperfine: AI-enabled portable MRI developer using deep-learning reconstruction; overlaps with CAI2R's fast MRI and AI reconstruction focus but operates at commercial scale in a portable point-of-care niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cai2r
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cai2r
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cai2r

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research