 |
|
|
|
 |
|
NEWS RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
|
|
|
CEDARA SOFTWARE STREAMLINES CLINICAL
TRIAL DATA ACCESS AND REVIEW AT NCI ARCHIVE
Cedara’s imaging service grid and a specialized version of I-Response™
version play key roles
Toronto, ON, November 26, 2007 – Cedara Software, a Merge Healthcare company (NASDAQ: MRGE;TSX: MRG), and a leading medical imaging software and services company, announced that its imaging service grid and a specialized version of I-Response have recently been integrated with the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) National Cancer Imaging Archive (NCIA). The NCIA is a powerful searchable repository of in vivo cancer images acquired during clinical trials. The Cedara solution is designed to provide users with a central clinical viewer to review and analyze NCIA data.
"Centralized image access, review and analysis have the potential to substantially reduce the amount of resources and time required to perform image evaluation for a variety of clinical trials," said Eliot Siegel, M.D., Professor of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Maryland. In Vivo Imaging Workspace, part of NCI’s cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG). "This represents an exciting addition to the NCIA."
Imaging service grid
Cedara’s imaging service grid is a set of imaging functions, such as complex 2D rendering and 3D imaging running on server computers, that reduces the need for expensive and complex hardware for workstations and networks comprising an advanced imaging solution. The imaging service grid is configured as a scalable 64-bit back-end solution that is integrated directly with the archive component from NCIA. The grid can be deployed as a standalone server that serves images to several clients – or scaled to a "server-farm" deployment that can serve images to hundreds of clients, as well as support load-balancing of these clients. It also can be connected and serve images to any viewer.
I-Response
The I-Response viewer establishes an HTTP request with the imaging service grid and allows users to employ measurement tools found in I-Response on the selected studies. This distributed processing viewer contains image analysis tools that enable researchers to evaluate and quantify images obtained during clinical trials. I-Response supports multiple modalities and operates with imaging equipment from different manufacturers.
Key clinical features:
- The ability to track and compare standard criteria for tumor assessment including the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Group (RECIST) as well as the World Health Organization (WHO).
- Measurements in 2D and MPR.
- Ability to calculate volume-based measurements.
- Ability to calculate PET SUV values.
- Advanced semi-automatic segmentation tools for quickly identifying lesions, and workflow to support transitions to the next slices.
- Results of the 2D and MPR measurements can be saved and retrieved for subsequent review. The XML schema will be publishable for use within the NCI caBIG Imaging Workspace projects.
- Double Blind Reading workflow that facilitates collection and display of measurements based on clinical roles (e.g., Reader 1, Reader 2, Adjudicator).
- Other functionality that facilitates workflow includes quick access to measurement report tables, thick slice review, linked scroll and identification of target and non-target tumors.
"We are delighted that NCI has adopted our solutions for image viewing and measurement for its critical cancer imaging archive," said Cedara Software president, Loris Sartor. "Clinical research is a vital part of healthcare, so we greatly value opportunities to play a role in trials that entail medical image viewing and analysis."
# # #
Cedara Software is a Merge Healthcare company focused on the development of customized software solutions and development tools for the medical imaging OEM market. Cedara’s solutions enable OEM companies to accelerate their time-to-market, reduce development costs and access new streams of revenue. Cedara’s software is deployed in hospitals and clinics worldwide and is licensed by many of the world's leading medical device and healthcare information technology companies. Cedara’s technologies and engineering services span all the major digital imaging modalities and a wide variety of clinical specialties including radiology, orthopaedics, women’s health, oncology, cardiac imaging, clinical trials, imaging for the veterinarian market and more. For additional information, visit our website at www.cedara.com .
Merge Healthcare is a leading medical imaging software and services company. Our innovative software solutions use leading-edge imaging software technologies that accelerate market delivery for our OEM customers, while our end-user solutions improve our customers' productivity and enhance the quality of patient care they provide. For additional information, visit our website at www.mergehealthcare.com.
All trademarks appearing in this release are the property of Cedara Software Corp. and/or Merge Healthcare.
|
Attn: Beth Frost-Johnson
Merge Healthcare
6737 West Washington St.
Suite 2250
Milwaukee, WI 53214
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Except for the historical information herein, the matters discussed in this news release include forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. When used in this press release, the words “will,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “expects” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the uncertainty created by, the adverse impact on relationships with customers, potential customers, suppliers and investors potentially resulting from, and other risks associated with, the changes in the Company’s senior management; costs, risks and effects of the investigation by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors; the impact of the restatement of financial statements of the Company and other actions that may be taken or required as a result of such restatement; the Company's inability to timely file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; risks associated with the Company's inability to meet the requirements of The NASDAQ Stock Market for continued listing, including possible delisting; costs, risks and effects of legal proceedings and investigations, including the informal, non-public inquiry being conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and class action, derivative, and other lawsuits; risks in product and technology development, market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand, the impact of competitive products and pricing, ability to integrate acquisitions, changing economic conditions, credit and payment risks associated with end-user sales, dependence on major customers, dependence on key personnel, and other risk factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events, developments, or changed circumstances, or for any other reason.
|
|
|
