GE HealthCare on Monday announced the opening of a new research and development center in north China's Tianjin Municipality, marking a significant expansion of its innovation operations in China's health care market.

The facility, designated the Magnetic Resonance (MR) Eastern Hemisphere Headquarters R&D Center, serves as the company's only system-level magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research base outside the United States.

Spanning approximately 10,000 square meters and equipped with over 20 system-testing bays and 4 hardware/software labs, the center will focus on developing AI technologies and core MRI components such as magnets and gradient coils.

It aims to "provide sustainable technical support" while delivering innovations that "enhance diagnostic accuracy and improve patient outcomes," according to a statement from GE HealthCare.

The opening of the center is an important part of GE HealthCare's five-year plan to invest 500 million yuan (about 70.77 million U.S. dollars) in Tianjin. It also highlights the company's dedication to expanding its presence in the Chinese market.

The center is designed to operate synergistically with GE HealthCare's existing Tianjin manufacturing base, the production capacity of which has increased tens of times since its establishment in 2014. The products manufactured at the Tianjin base range from 1.5T and 3T machines to PET/MR models.

Engineered for cross-sector collaboration, the center will partner with local universities and hospitals to establish an integrated innovation system spanning basic research, technology development and commercialization. Key clinical priorities include simultaneous brain-heart MRI scans and early, precise diagnosis of liver cancer.

Kelly Londy, president and CEO of MR at GE HealthCare, described the Tianjin center as "a critical upgrade to GE HealthCare's global innovation network" that will "inject robust momentum into the evolution of our MR technology and the continuous product upgrades."

"China is not only one of the world's most dynamic health care markets," Londy emphasized, "but is also emerging as a key engine driving cutting-edge industry innovation."