Calypso Medical Partners with Siemens Healthcare in Master Development Agreement to Provide Better Control of Radiation Beam During Cancer Treatment.Combined Technology Platforms May Lead to More Accurate Radiation Delivery and Fewer Side Effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. SEATTLE -- Calypso Calypso, in Greek mythology Calypso (kəlĭp`sō), nymph, daughter of Atlas, in Homer's Odyssey. She lived on the island of Ogygia and there entertained Odysseus for seven years. Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization Customizing software and documentation for a particular country. It includes the translation of menus and messages into the native spoken language as well as changes in the user interface to accommodate different alphabets and culture. See internationalization and l10n. technology used for the precise tracking of tumor targets, today announced that it has entered into a strategic development agreement with Siemens Healthcare to jointly develop products integrating the Calypso([R]) System with the Siemens ARTISTE linear accelerator linear accelerator: see particle accelerator. linear accelerator or linac Type of particle accelerator that imparts a series of relatively small increases in energy to subatomic particles as they pass through a sequence of and other Siemens radiotherapy technologies. "Siemens' product offerings and leadership in the radiotherapy market are world-class. By combining Calypso's technology platform with cutting edge Siemens products, we will be well-positioned to develop advanced radiation therapy technologies," said Eric R. Meier, president and chief executive officer of Calypso Medical. "This agreement will provide the framework for joint development of real-time multi-leaf collimater (MLC (MultiLevel Cell) A flash memory technology that stores more than one bit per cell. Traditional flash memory defines a 0 or 1 bit based on a single voltage threshold. ) tracking, a future capability(*) which will significantly enhance the delivery of radiation to difficult-to-treat areas such as the pancreas and lung, as well as for our current prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. patients." Calypso and Siemens have already demonstrated the feasibility of MLC tracking through a partnership with the German Cancer Research Center The German Cancer Research Center (known as the Deutsches Krebs Forschungs Zentrum or simply DKFZ in German), is a cancer research center based in Heidelberg, Germany. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, the largest scientific organization in Germany. (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ DKFZ Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany) ), the largest biomedical research institute in Germany. MLC tracking enables the radiation beam to move in concert with the tumor target based on real-time tracking data provided by the Calypso System, thereby enabling faster, more precise delivery of radiation with a higher degree of accuracy and confidence. "MLC tracking guided by the Calypso System can maximize treatment efficiency while ensuring pinpoint delivery of radiation to the tumor, even in the presence of significant tumor motion," said Uwe Oelfke, MCCPM MCCPM Member of the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine mCCPM Mechanical Cyclic/Collective Pitch Mixing (rotary wing aircraft) , FInstP, professor of medical radiation physics at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). "We are very pleased with the MDA (1) (Monochrome Display Adapter) The first IBM PC monochrome video display standard for text. Due to its lack of graphics, MDA cards were often replaced with Hercules cards, which provided both text and graphics. See PC display modes and Hercules Graphics. with Calypso Medical as this will allow us to more rapidly develop new approaches for the delivery of radiation therapy," said Holger Schmidt, chief executive officer of Oncology Care Systems for Siemens Healthcare. "We believe our technologies complement one another ideally and once fully integrated may lead to improved outcomes and a better quality-of-life for all cancer patients." Also known as GPS for the Body([R]), Calypso's proprietary technology utilizes miniature implanted Beacon([R])transponders to provide precise, continuous information on the location of the tumor during external beam radiation therapy. Any movement by the patient, including internal movement of the tumor, may cause the radiation to miss its intended target and hit adjacent healthy tissue. In contrast to other tumor targeting solutions, the Calypso System provides continuous tumor position information, objectively and without ionizing radiation, thereby enabling an increase in the radiation delivered to the tumor while reducing radiation misapplied to normal tissue. "We use the Calypso System to ensure the precise delivery of radiation to our prostate patients, even with reduced margins. As both a Siemens and Calypso user, we are very encouraged by this new development agreement with Siemens," said Charles Enke, M.D., chairman of the department of radiation oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center In 1991, a technology transfer office was created known as UNeMed. In 1997, the UNMC hospital merged with the nearby hospital operated by Clarkson College to become what was later renamed The Nebraska Medical Center. . At the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology, currently underway in Chicago, Siemens Healthcare will showcase the first targeted product of the MDA as a work-in-progress at booth 1829. In addition to the MDA with Siemens, Calypso also announced an MDA with Varian Medical Systems Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is engaged in the design and manufacture of advanced equipment and software solutions for treating cancer with radiation, as well as x-ray tubes for original equipment manufacturers, replacement x-ray tubes and flat-panel digital subsystems earlier this year. About Calypso Medical Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. is a Seattle-based, privately held medical device company. The Company's proprietary tumor localization system utilizes miniaturized implanted devices (Beacon([R]) electromagnetic transponders) to continuously, accurately and objectively track the location of tumors for improved accuracy and management of radiation therapy delivery. The technology is designed for body-wide cancers commonly treated with radiation therapy. The products are FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) cleared for use in the prostate and post-operative prostatic bed. The Company has strategic relationships with Varian Medical Systems, Siemens Healthcare, Elekta Corporation and Philips Medical. Additional information can be found at http://www.calypsomedical.com. About Siemens The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens is the only company to offer customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source - from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare af·ter·care n. Follow-up care provided after a medical procedure or treatment program. aftercare the care and treatment of a convalescent patient, especially one that has undergone surgery. . By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 49,000 employees worldwide and operates in over 130 countries. In fiscal year 2008 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.2 billion euros and profit of 1.2 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare. (*) This technology is a concept device under development and not available for sale. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion