How Foqus Technologies is tapping the quantum realm to ease ‘crisis’ in MRI wait times

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeInnovationHow Foqus Technologies is tapping the quantum realm to ease 'crisis' in MRI wait timesKitchener, Ont.-based startup uses an AI-enabled system that can produce medical imaging photos faster than existing platformsLast updated 18 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Sadegh Raeisi, co-founder and chief executive at Kitchener, Ont.-based Foqus Technologies Inc. Photo by Foqus Technologies Inc.With Canadians facing what radiologists are calling a “crisis” in medical imaging wait times, an Ontario startup aims to reduce scan times using quantum software.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountFounded in 2021 by researchers at the University of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ont.-based Foqus Technologies Inc. is developing artificial intelligence-enabled software that uses principles of quantum physics to take higher-quality magnetic resonance imaging photos up to 75 per cent faster than existing scanning platforms, meaning MRIs could take 10 minutes instead of 40. Foqus’s software is also less expensive than an MRI machine and can be deployed on existing scanners, according to the company.“For a hospital running an MRI scanner 12 hours a day, that could mean going from roughly 15 to 20 patients per day to 30 or more. That is a minimum of 4,000 additional patients per year for each scanner without a single dollar spent on new hardware,” said co-founder and chief executive of Foqus Technologies, Sadegh Raeisi.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againMRI scans are a vital diagnostic tool with an estimated 2.33 million MRI scans completed each year in Canada.With Canadians facing a national median wait time for MRIs of 18-weeks as of 2025 — 15 days longer than pre-pandemic levels — the inability to provide these services within medically recommended timeframes has reached a state of “crisis,” according to the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR).Canadians shouldn’t have to wait longer than 30 days for non-urgent procedures, according to CAR president Alison Harris.“Diagnostic imaging is the gateway to treatment,” said Raeisi. “You cannot treat what you cannot see, and timing matters enormously. Take cancer: The five-year survival rate for stage 1 breast cancer is nearly 100 per cent, but it drops to 23 per cent by stage 4. Early detection does not just improve outcomes, it changes the nature of treatment entirely.”According to an October 2025 Fraser Institute study, Canada is ranked 27th out of 31 in medical imaging infrastructure among countries with universal health care. This means that there are only about 10 MRI machines per million people, compared with about 38 in the United States, according to a U.S. nonprofit health-care policy research foundation, The Commonwealth Fund.However, it is simply not economically viable to spend tens of millions of dollars on additional scanners and technicians, Raeisi said. And the problem is compounded by a wave of retiring technologists, he added.So Foqus is aiming to stretch the available resources with software. Current systems are not sophisticated enough to work with limited data, he said, but Foqus’ device, called DeepFoqus-Accelerate, uses AI to determine which data are needed to reconstruct MRI images intelligently. The software uses quantum algorithms informed by the quantum signals of molecules inside the body. This allows DeepFoqus-Accelerate to produce better images from less data and faster scans. Left, a brain scan with Foqus’ DeepFoqus-Accelerate software. Right, the same image generated by the native magnetic resonance imaging scanner software for a 4X accelerated scan. Photo by Foqus Technologies Inc.The seven-person company has received federal government grants totalling $901,975. In 2024, Foqus received $601,975 from the government under the Regional Quantum Initiative to accelerate the commercialization of its MRI software.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Another grant, valued at $300,000 was provided through the National Research Council of Canada through the Industrial Research Assistance Program in 2025 and funded the development and market expansion of the company’s Deep-Foqus Accelerate platform.As of April 2025, the company’s DeepFoqus-Accelerate platform received FDA 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that its product is safe and effective, along with approval from Health Canada. According to Foqus, the company’s software has been tested on more than 20,000 MRI images.Foqus also recently joined the Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX) in March 2026, a Kitchener-based industry-led, non-profit medical technology and health tech accelerator to help it scale across major health systems in North America within the coming years.According to the company, the technology is delivering results: more patients scanned, fewer rescans and less sedation.Access to faster diagnostic imaging also saves cuts down on the larger costs of delayed treatment, according to the company.“The current wait times in Canada are impacting patients in terms of quality of life and are costing the healthcare system billions in lost GDP, given many of these patients are unable to work,” said the radiologists association’s Harris.However, with nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s medical technology imports coming from the U.S., Raeisi says American tariff threats in 2025 quickly showed how Canada’s dependency risked patient care.“Healthcare technology is critical infrastructure and building it domestically is not just an economic strategy, it’s a matter of sovereignty,” said Raeisi.The global medtech market is expected to exceed US$1 trillion by 2035, according to several market research companies.“Looking ahead, we see potential to extend our platform beyond speed into new imaging capabilities — visualizing metabolites, molecular signatures — but that is a future roadmap,” said Raeisi.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.