ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VirtualScopics, Inc. , a leading developer of image-related biomarker solutions, announced today that it has presented four co-authored papers at the 52nd annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in Chicago, on March 19-22, 2006. The four studies are co-authored by Saara Totterman, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer; Jose Tamez-Pena, PhD., chief technical officer; Larry Molinelli, IP&A manager; and Monica Barbu-McInnis, imaging scientist. These research projects add to VirtualScopics’ growing knowledge base of modern imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) to reduce the need for invasive techniques to assess severity of disease, and to increase its understanding of structural and functional manifestations of disease.
The first presentation was “Correlating Biochemical, Histologic, and MRI Measures for Early Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis in the Pond-Nuki Model in Dogs.” This canine study demonstrated the potential of MRI as a non-invasive tool to accurately detect cartilage degradation associated with osteoarthritis in early stages of the disease. This is significant because it opens up the possibility of accurately assessing the disease at an early stage where it is still reversible through medical intervention.
The second presentation, “Acetabular Cup Migration Analysis from CT Images,” showed the ability of CT scans to detect the migration of hip implants without prior knowledge of the implant design and without surgical intervention.
The third presentation was entitled, “Comparison of Arthroscopy and MRI for Grading of Knee Chondromalacia,” and demonstrated that MRI can be useful in supplementing arthroscopy and subjective scoring of the severity of chondromalacia of the knee. MRI is particularly useful in allowing for visualization of cartilage thickness, subchondral changes and measurement of defects.
The last presentation, “Validation of MRI-Based Measures of Osteoarthritic Cartilage Biomarkers by Direct Comparisons to Histological Sections,” demonstrated the accuracy of MRI in detecting and measuring various biomarkers (i.e., osteochondral defects and subchondral bone cysts).
“This knowledge is leading us towards better understanding of disease in its reversible stages, and increases our ability to assess the efficacy or futility of experimental drugs and/or medical devices earlier in the clinical trial process,” said Bob Klimasewski, president and CEO of VirtualScopics. “This is important for our customers to more inexpensively, efficiently and quickly bring a drug to market.”
About VirtualScopics, Inc.
VirtualScopics, Inc. is a provider of advanced medical image analysis services. The company evolved from research first carried out at the University of Rochester Medical Center and School of Engineering. VirtualScopics has created a suite of image analysis tools used in detecting and analyzing specific structures in volumetric medical images, as well as characterizing minute changes in structures over time, providing vital information to support clinical trials and diagnostic applications. The firm’s proprietary software algorithms can assemble hundreds of separate medical images taken during an MRI session into a single, three-dimensional model, bringing a new and previously unobtainable source of data to clinical researchers. For more information about VirtualScopics, visit www.virtualscopics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Forward-looking statements deal with the Company’s current plans, intentions, beliefs and expectations. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed from time to time in reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Tracy Bagatelle-Black Bagatelle-Black Public Relations 661/263-1842 tracy@bagatelleblack.com
VirtualScopics, Inc.
CONTACT: Tracy Bagatelle-Black of Bagatelle-Black Public Relations,+1-661-263-1842, or tracy@bagatelleblack.com , for VirtualScopics, Inc.
Web site: http://www.virtualscopics.com//
