LOW-COST MEDICAL IMAGING

THE COMPANY IS CURRENTLY CONTRACTED TO PROVIDE A MICRO COMPUTER BASED MEDICAL IMAGING SYSTEM TO THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL TO BE USED TO ANALYZE PECEPTOR AUTORADIOGRAMS. THE SYSTEM, CONSISTING OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, WILL BE DELIVERED IN FEBRUARY 1984. IT QUANTIFIES OPTICAL DENSITY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM AND IS EMPLOYED TO MAP NEUROTPANSMITTER RECEPTORS IN A VARIETY OF REGIONS OF RAT, MONKEY AND HUMAN BRAINS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROPOSED EFFORT IS TO EXTEND THE CONCEPT OF LOW-COST IMAGING BASED ON THE PROTOTYPE SYSTEM, TO A USER FRIENDLY, MICRO-COMPUTER IMAGE SYSTEM WHICH COULD BE USED IN ANY OF A WIDE VARIETY OF NEUROSCIENCE AND OTHER MEDICAL DISCIPLINES BASED ON OPTICAL DENSITY VARIATION. RESULTS OF THE PROTOTYPE OPERATION IN AN ACTUAL MEDICAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT WILL PROVIDE THE BASIS FROM WHICH THE COMPANY WILL ADAPT PROGRAMS AND STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES TO ENHANCE AND AUTOMATE THE OPERATORS TASKS. THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE A SYSTEM OF INEXPENSIVE IMAGE ANALYSIS DIRECTLY ADAPTABLE TO A MAJORITY OF THE CURRENT SECOND GENERATION MICRO COMPUTERS. THE BOTTOM LINE WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN COST FOR A VARIETY OF MEDICAL IMAGING APPLICATIONS.