Polarean appoints Xenon MRI specialist as chief medical advisor

Advanced MRI technology specialist Polarean Imaging announced the appointment of Dr Chase Hall as its chief medical advisor on Wednesday.

The AIM-traded firm described Dr Hall as an expert in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, adding that he would bring “extensive experience” in respiratory disease imaging to the company.

Dr Hall is currently an associate professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center and serves as the associate director of the Interstitial Lung Disease and Rare Lung Disease Clinic.

His research was primarily focussed on using Xenon MRI to establish imaging biomarkers for respiratory diseases - a field in which he had made significant strides.

Dr Hall’s work included developing Xenon MRI as a sensitive tool for measuring treatment responses and creating rapid image acquisition protocols and automated image analysis systems.

Additionally, Dr Hall is an active member of the Xenon MRI clinical trials consortium, a collaboration of 13 clinical research sites dedicated to standardising Xenon imaging protocols for multi-centre clinical trials, training new sites, and advancing awareness in the field.

In his new role at Polarean, Dr Hall would guide the company’s clinical development strategies and medical education initiatives.

The board said his expertise would be crucial in driving engagement with the medical community and addressing unmet needs in pulmonary care.

Dr Hall would continue his clinical practice, providing Polarean with insights directly from the frontline of pulmonary medicine.

“As a leading expert in pulmonary medicine as well as a champion of our Xenon MRI technology platform, Dr Hall is a perfect fit for the company,” said chief executive officer Christopher von Jako.

“His appointment represents a significant step in growing the Polarean team as we look to expand Xenon MRI to more clinical and research sites.”

Dr Hall's academic credentials included a medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, residency in internal medicine, and fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.

He is also a peer-reviewer for several medical journals, including Academic Radiology and The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“For several years, I have been deeply interested in the potential of Xenon MRI to assist pulmonary clinicians and the patients we treat,” Chase Hall commented.

“There is a significant unmet need in pulmonary medicine for imaging technology that can better characterise disease, monitor response to therapy, and guide interventional procedures.

“I am excited to join Polarean to help guide the clinical development and implementation of this unique technology in pulmonary medicine.”

At 1131 BST, shares in Polarean Imaging were down 0.35% at 1.77p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.