GE Healthcare Showcases Innovative Molecular Imaging Solutions At 2008 Society Of Nuclear Medicine Conference

Main Category: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Also Included In: Conferences;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 16 Jun 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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GE Healthcare will be showcasing the company's pioneering new single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging applications; positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) MotionFree technologies; and new pre-clinical imaging and radiopharmaceutical offerings at the 55th annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, June 15 - 19, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rounding out GE Healthcare's presence is an Innovation Center that will showcase future generation imaging technologies.

"SNM 2008 is a great opportunity to show GE's complete package of molecular imaging innovations," said Gene Saragnese, vice president of GE Healthcare's molecular imaging and CT business. "From imaging agents to future imaging technologies, GE Healthcare provides the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of clinically-relevant offerings."

At SNM 2008, GE Healthcare will feature SPECT/CT, PET/CT, radiopharmacy and pre-clinical technologies that address some of the biggest issues facing healthcare providers, such as inaccuracy caused by motion in PET/CT imaging, the need for better visualization of disease and efficient workflow in SPECT/CT, faster throughput for pre-clinical imaging and more consistent and compliant imaging agent production in radiopharmaceuticals.

"Molecular imaging innovations are key to realizing GE Healthcare's vision for an Early Health model of care," said Jean-Luc Vanderheyden, global molecular imaging leader for GE Healthcare. "Our focus is to deliver on the initiative of Early Health-moving our healthcare system from being reactive - when diseases are diagnosed late and could be more difficult to treat, to proactive- possibly preventing disease before it happens with early diagnosis and accurate follow-up."

"We are focused on advancing the field of molecular imaging to help clinicians see disease earlier than ever before," said Vanderheyden. "That's the idea of Early Health, and it's the very basis of molecular imaging. It truly is a revolution in healthcare, and we are asking everyone to be a part of it."

SPECT/CT

GE is launching two breakthrough software packages on the company's flagship 4-slice SPECT/CT, the Infinia Hawkeye 4. The new Volumetrix Suite consists of two powerful applications that deliver image clarity and diagnostic confidence with precise detection and localization of disease, the Volumetrix 3D and Volumetrix IR. Volumetrix 3D brings together the convenience of advanced 3D visualization with the productivity and ease of traditional 2D image analysis. Volumetrix IR offers a clinician the choice of virtually any CT to view registered to the SPECT data, all within the nuclear medicine workflow.

"Volumetrix is a tremendous step forward in helping our customers prepare for the next frontier in molecular imaging," said Nathan Hermony, nuclear medicine general manager, GE Healthcare. "We believe that Volumetrix Suite will bring clinicians the power of the 'three C's' of imaging: Clarity, Choice, and Convenience."

PET/CT

Motion is the most significant clinical challenge in PET/CT. GE Healthcare continues the journey toward MotionFree PET/CT imaging with advanced motion correction techniques offered as part of its Discovery PET/CT platform. With GE's offerings, clinicians now have more information and tools to help them diagnose and stage with accuracy, plan with precision and monitor with confidence.

"GE is a leader in PET/CT," said Henry Hummel, global PET/CT general manager, GE Healthcare. "And we've continued to make every new technology clinically relevant. From providing the highest sensitivity crystals for outstanding lesion detectability, to motion-correction techniques to address the biggest clinical challenge in PET/CT, we are constantly looking at ways to help physicians help patients."

Highlighting GE's PET/CT presence at SNM 2008 is the Discovery platform, optimized for advanced clinical applications. The Discovery series of PET/CT scanners feature industry-leading sensitivity and VUE Point HD high-definition imaging, with improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for all PET/CT exams.

"Our crystal technology and VUE Point HD reconstruction have been a tremendous asset for our platform to provide clinicians field-leading sensitivity and high-definition imaging," said Hummel. "We continue to innovate, while keeping in place the key platform components that deliver robust clinical capabilities."

Pre-clinical Imaging

The molecular imaging revolution extends to GE's pre-clinical imaging products. The new eXplore speCZT, the first full-ring solid-state detector small animal SPECT, utilizes a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector, allowing for full 360-degree coverage around the animal and high-energy resolution to enable dual or triple radio-nuclide imaging. The increased sensitivity of speCZT helps medical researchers perform dynamic small animal SPECT imaging to precisely quantify radiotracer uptake and identify morphological changes.

Radiopharmacy

Molecular imaging is only possible with the latest in contrast agents and radiopharmaceuticals. GE's FASTlab, also featured at SNM 2008, is the first multi-tracer PET chemistry synthesis platform to feature a cassette that incorporates pre-measured, pre-loaded reagents-a dramatic innovation that delivers higher yields, improved reproducibility and faster synthesis.

GE Healthcare is introducing further improvements to its MINItrace and PETtrace cyclotron platforms with new electronics and software operating systems. The new linux-based cyclotron control software, provides enhanced capability for on-line monitoring and support of the systems to achieve increased lifetime and uptime. Finally, new niobium targets deliver higher performance and extend target life.

TRACERcenter-GMP is a combination of equipment, information and services that allow you to establish and operate your research or clinical PET tracer production center with confidence. TRACERcenter-GMP includes state-of-the-art equipment, comprehensive documentation and GMP training and consulting services to provide new centers with support and knowledge for the production of PET tracers.

Innovation Center

GE Healthcare's Innovation Center will feature next-generation functional imaging concepts. Attendees will have the opportunity to see how GE is re-imagining healthcare.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping clinicians around the world re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform, treat and monitor disease, so patients can live their lives to the fullest.

GE Healthcare's broad range of products and services enable healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases and other conditions earlier. Our vision for the future is to enable a new "early health" model of care focused on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic disease detection and disease prevention. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.

GE Healthcare