NOVEL CONTRAST AGENTS FOR MR IMAGING & ULTRASOUND

IT IS IMARX'S LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE TO BE A LEADER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNIQUES AND CONTRAST AGENTS FOR DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING. IN MEDICINE, IT IS PARAMOUNT THAT TO TREAT DISEASE WE MUST FIRST ESTABLISH THE CORRECT DIAGNOSIS AND MEDICAL IMAGING HAS ASSUMED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THIS REGARD. IMARX IS DEVELOPING NEW FUNCTIONAL CONTRAST AGENTS FOR MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) AND ULTRASOUND (US), INCLUDING VASCULAR (BLOOD POOL), LIVER, SPLEEN, BONE MARROW AND GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) CONTRAST AGENTS. MR AGENTS ALREADY UNDER DEVELOPMENT INCREASE DETECTION OF TUMORS IN THE LIVER, SPLEEN, AND BONE MARROW AND MAY BE USEFUL FOR EVALUATING LYMPH NODES IN DISEASES SUCH AS LYMPHOMA. THE MR CONTRAST AGENTS THAT IMARX HAS UNDER DEVELOPMENT INCREASETHE ECHOGENICITY (SIGNAL) FROM BLOOD, LIQUIDS AND OTHER TISSUES. IMARX HAS DEVELOPED A BLOOD POOL AGENT CALLED AEROSOMES. AEROSOMES MAY BE TARGETED TO THE VASCULAR SYSTEMTO IMPROVE MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD FLOW, CARDIAC IMAGING AND DETECTION OF TUMORS IN ORGANS SUCH AS THE LIVER. AEROSOMES HAVE IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS IN US FOR ONCOLOGY AND THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. IT IS THE FOCUS OF THIS GIANT TO CONTINUE WORK ON AEROSOMES FOR EVENTUAL ENTRY INTO CLINICAL TRIALS. THERE IS A LARGE POTENTIAL MARKET FOR AEROSOMES, BECAUSE STABLE, BUBBLE-BASED CONTRAST MEDIA FOR US DO NOT YET EXIST COMMERCIALLY AND WILL EXPAND THE CAPABILITIES OF DIAGNOSTIC US AND OF THIS CROSS-SECTION IMAGING TECHNIQUE. THERE IS A POTENTIAL SAVINGS OF HEALTH CARE DOLLARS, AS US MIGHT BE USED INSTEAD OF MORE EXPENSIVE TECHNIQUES SUCH AS MRI OR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY. IT IS IMARX'S LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE TO BE A LEADER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNIQUES AND CONTRAST AGENTS FOR DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING. IN MEDICINE, IT IS PARAMOUNT THAT TO TREAT DISEASE WE MUST FIRST ESTABLISH THE CORRECT DIAGNOSIS AND MEDICAL IMAGING HAS ASSUMED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THIS REGARD. IMARX IS DEVELOPING NEW FUNCTIONAL CONTRAST AGENTS FOR MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) AND ULTRASOUND (US), INCLUDING VASCULAR (BLOOD POOL), LIVER, SPLEEN, BONE MARROW AND GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) CONTRAST AGENTS. MR AGENTS ALREADY UNDER DEVELOPMENT INCREASE DETECTION OF TUMORS IN THE LIVER, SPLEEN, AND BONE MARROW AND MAY BE USEFUL FOR EVALUATING LYMPH NODES IN DISEASES SUCH AS LYMPHOMA. THE MR CONTRAST AGENTS THAT IMARX HAS UNDER DEVELOPMENT INCREASETHE ECHOGENICITY (SIGNAL) FROM BLOOD, LIQUIDS AND OTHER TISSUES. IMARX HAS DEVELOPED A BLOOD POOL AGENT CALLED AEROSOMES. AEROSOMES MAY BE TARGETED TO THE VASCULAR SYSTEMTO IMPROVE MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD FLOW, CARDIAC IMAGING AND DETECTION OF TUMORS IN ORGANS SUCH AS THE LIVER. AEROSOMES HAVE IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS IN US FOR ONCOLOGY AND THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. IT IS THE FOCUS OF THIS GIANT TO CONTINUE WORK ON AEROSOMES FOR EVENTUAL ENTRY INTO CLINICAL TRIALS. THERE IS A LARGE POTENTIAL MARKET FOR AEROSOMES, BECAUSE STABLE, BUBBLE-BASED CONTRAST MEDIA FOR US DO NOT YET EXIST COMMERCIALLY AND WILL EXPAND THE CAPABILITIES OF DIAGNOSTIC US AND OF THIS CROSS-SECTION IMAGING TECHNIQUE. THERE IS A POTENTIAL SAVINGS OF HEALTH CARE DOLLARS, AS US MIGHT BE USED INSTEAD OF MORE EXPENSIVE TECHNIQUES SUCH AS MRI OR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY.