Imaging in motion: The BioMotive consortium is developing a new generation of MRI scanners at UMC Utrecht and the University of Twente, enabling researchers to study the human body during natural movements such as walking or cycling.
Movement scientist Melissa Hooijmans from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is involved in the project.
Hooijmans will use the facilities to investigate fundamental questions, such as how dynamic muscle activity and fatigue differ during realistic daily activities differ in patients with neuromuscular diseases, in older adults, or in individuals recovering from sports injuries, compared with healthy individuals.
Many diseases are related to posture and movement - from osteoarthritis to cardiovascular disease and post-surgical recovery. Yet MRI scans are still typically taken while people lie still and flat. “With the BioMotive infrastructure, we gain a unique inside view of the body in action,” says project leader Professor Nico van den Berg (UMC Utrecht). “We will soon be able to see how muscles, organs, and metabolism work together during movement, and gain a better understanding of how the body functions in health and disease.”
Two unique MRI facilities
Within BioMotive, two research facilities are being built:
- An open 0.5-tesla MRI scanner for imaging in an upright position at the University of Twente (ready in 2026);
- A unique 3-tesla ‘walk-in’ MRI scanner, enabling measurements during movement, at UMC Utrecht (ready in 2030).
Both scanners will be equipped with specialized research equipment - such as bicycles and heart monitors - to enable and measure physical exertion. These facilities will make it possible to study the body with MRI in natural postures, allowing researchers to measure more precisely how the heart, muscles, and organs work together. The facilities are designed specifically for scientific research, not for direct patient care.
New insights into the heart, muscles, and metabolism
The BioMotive project focuses on three major research areas:
- Cardiovascular diseases – for example, heart failure and hereditary conditions.
- The musculoskeletal system – from muscular diseases and sports injuries to osteoarthritis.
- Muscle metabolism and digestion – in metabolic or neuromuscular disorders.
By combining advanced MRI technology with physical modeling, motion analysis, and smart, innovative data processing, researchers will, for the first time, be able to simultaneously map internal forces, blood flow, and muscle tension.
“Thanks to BioMotive, we can follow the body live during realistic movements, this is truly a breakthrough in biomechanical research,” says Martijn Froeling (UMC Utrecht).
Limitless collaboration
The BioMotive consortium has received a €20 million grant from NWO and brings together leading Dutch research institutions, including UMC Utrecht, University of Twente, Radboudumc, TU Eindhoven, Amsterdam UMC, Maastricht UMC+, UMC Groningen, Wageningen University & Research, Leiden UMC, Erasmus MC, VU Amsterdam, and partners such as Klimmendaal, Kortradio, and the Central Military Hospital.