WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- CAD Sciences, a technology leader in CAD software, announced today a collaborative effort with Sapheneia, based in Jackson, MS, to develop a product for analyzing suspicious lesions in the lung combining Ultra-Low-Dose CT (ULDCT) technology with comprehensive contrast perfusion analysis. This collaboration would permit the extension of CAD Sciences’ proprietary fTP (Full-Time-Point) pharmacokinetic analysis software platform to CT, by far the most common tomographical radiology procedure and the workhorse modality in the diagnosis of lung disease. The Company’s fTP platform is currently used by radiologists to interpret and characterize lesions in the breast and prostate on MRI. Sapheneia brings to the joint development effort its groundbreaking ULDCT technology which permits lower dose parameter acquisition of CT images, while reducing patient exposure to radiation without the customary reduction in image quality.
The CAD Sciences / Sapheneia product collaboration heralds an important breakthrough in CAD by permitting robust pharmacokinetic analysis to be performed for the first time on CT without the excessive radiation dose required by current technology. Such comprehensive pharmacokinetic analysis requires the measurement of many post-contrast time points, and consequently, has only been performed on MRI, which does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation. The combined product will overcome the dual complication posed by the radiation component of CT, which limits image acquisition according to maximum acceptable dose parameters, and the conflicting need for image acquisition at multiple time points, which is a key ingredient to fTP technology.
From the perspective of CAD Sciences’ fTP technology, which analyzes biological function in tissue, image acquisition at multiple time points is advantageous since more data points may be measured. From a patient health perspective, however, an increase in the number of image acquisitions on CT increases the exposure to radiation. fTP and ULDCT technologies effectively bridge this fundamental conflict and enable a more robust analysis of contrast agent pharmacokinetics and underlying tissue physiology while minimizing patient exposure to CT radiation.
Full-Time-Point technology analyzes all available time points in an MR image series in order to analyze biological function in tissue. The platform’s innovative approach to implementing a four-compartment pharmacokinetic analysis model, which has rendered competing three-time-point technologies obsolete, permits the radiologist to generate numerical, and consequently measurable, values for Vascular Permeability (“PERM”) and Extra- Cellular Volume Fraction (“EVF”), which are considered key physiological indicators of cancer, for all pixels in a region of interest in contrast- enhanced MRI studies.
Sapheneia’s proprietary and complementary Ultra-Low-Dose CT Technology improves the spatial resolution of computerized tomography images obtained at ultra-low radiation exposure levels (e.g., 30 mAs). A highly sophisticated algorithm separates the anatomy under investigation from background noise by adjusting the spatial scale for that specific tissue, thereby permitting reduced dose levels.
Andreas Muehler, M.D., President of CAD Sciences, points out that “Over the last two decades, CT and MRI have certainly been in competition to be the tomographical imaging method of choice for cancer imaging. The absence of radiation exposure has traditionally given MRI the lead in dynamic contrast studies. We believe that the combination of these two technologies will allow the complex dynamic contrast injection protocols, currently in use on MRI, to be used on CT. Given that CT is much more versatile and common in many clinical radiology applications, our collaboration could lead to the development of new diagnostic capabilities in lung cancer and other areas.”
“The ability to treat lung cancer is directly related to its early detection and diagnosis,” said Dr. Patrick E. Sewell, CEO and Executive Medical Director of Sapheneia. “ULDCT removes the argument against excessive radiation dose exposure when doing contrast enhancement in CT to assess tissue characteristics of lung cancer. This ability will be yet another new tool in the radiologist’s bag that may prove useful in fighting a serious disease such as lung cancer.”
The application of CAD Sciences’ fTP technology to lung nodule analysis will expand the tools available to the physician to non-invasively characterize lung nodules, potentially reducing the number of patients having to undergo invasive surgical procedures.
“Because ULDCT technology is available as a simple plug-in or add-on to any existing or future CT unit-and in the near future available for all imaging technology using radiation-the ramifications could be staggering,” Dr. Sewell said. “The long-held radiology dictum of ALARA (always use a radiation dose that is As Low As Reasonably Allowable) may allow ULDCT to be easily incorporated into existing CT.”
Sapheneia’s COO, Rick Mancilla, adds, “We welcome the opportunity to work with such a forward thinking company as CAD Sciences, a company which shares our commitment to new techniques and technologies that benefit oncology patients worldwide.”
CAD Sciences’ CEO, Raymond Joslin, remarked, “The Lung CT product will address the huge medical need for better information on the part of the attending physician in the diagnosis of lung cancer, given that lung cancer is the largest cause of cancer deaths in men and women.” The American Cancer Society estimated that 172,570 men and women (93,010 men and 79,560 women) would be diagnosed with cancer and 163,510 men and women would die of cancer of the lung and bronchus in 2005.
While the integrated ULDCT / fTP product is currently under development, the commercial-ready version of the product will ultimately reside on CAD Sciences’ Server2 platform as an optional module for which a customer may obtain a separate usage license, similar to the Company’s breast and prostate software modules. Server2 enables high procedure throughput due to automatic processing of image data on a server attached to the radiology center’s PACS network.
About CAD Sciences:
Founded in March 2002, CAD Sciences is the technology leader in the advancement of computer-assisted modeling of contrast enhancement in MR imaging of cancer. From its base in White Plains, NY, the Company designs and internationally distributes certain intellectual property in CAD (Computer Assisted Diagnosis) and MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) software for medical imaging. The Company’s Server2(TM) and WorkSpace(TM) software platforms are currently used by radiologist customers to facilitate the analysis, interventional planning and reporting of breast and prostate MRI. Together these products automate MRI image processing and provide higher quality imaging studies, lower facility costs, increased revenue streams for radiology practices as well as improved analysis and reporting tools for physicians. In addition, the Company is the sole distributor of Machnet breast biopsy intervention devices and magnetic resonance breast and carotid coils.
More information about the Company or its technology can be obtained by visiting www.cadsciences.com or by calling our office at (877) 387-4387.
Media Contacts: - Raymond E. Joslin, (914) 313-0330, raymond.joslin@cadsciences.com - Nancy Isenberger, (212) 818-1894, nancy.isenberger@cadsciences.com About Sapheneia:
Sapheneia, LLC is a multinational health care organization that provides the most advanced, minimally invasive image guided surgical procedures for oncology patients. Interventional radiologists, researchers, biomedical engineers and software developers work as a team to produce new techniques and technologies that benefit oncology patients worldwide. In addition to providing patient care, Sapheneia serves as an education and research center for physicians, providing continuing education and training opportunities. Headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, Sapheneia also has offices in Stockholm, Sweden and Ventura, California.
More information about Sapheneia is available at www.sapheneia.org. Media Contacts: - Jim Albritton, (601) 940-9295, jalbritton@sapheneia.org - Rick Mancilla, (805) 649-4777, mancilla@sapheneia.org
CAD Sciences
CONTACT: Media Contacts - Raymond E. Joslin, +1-914-313-0330,raymond.joslin@cadsciences.com, or Nancy Isenberger, +1-212-818-1894,nancy.isenberger@cadsciences.com, both of CAD Sciences; Jim Albritton,+1-601- 940-9295, jalbritton@sapheneia.org, or Rick Mancilla,+1-805-649-4777, mancilla@sapheneia.org, both of Sapheneia, LLC
