McLean Hospital Orders Varian, Inc. High-Field MRI System for Researching Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Disorders.

Medical & Health Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--March 1, 2000

Varian, Inc. (NASDAQ: VARI) today announced that it is providing a 4-Tesla (4T) High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) research system to McLean Hospital (Belmont, Mass.), a world leader in the research and treatment of mental illness and chemical dependency.

The McLean Hospital Brain Imaging Center, led by director Perry Renshaw, M.D, Ph.D. will use the 4T MRI research system for functional imaging of the brain, also known as functional MRI. Specifically, the center will study human brain function associated with drug abuse and psychiatric disorders. The clinic's improved imaging capability will also enhance research efforts directed to better understanding depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, dementia, aging and other developing areas of neuroscience.

High-field MRI systems such as the one destined for McLean cost about $3 to $4 million and are used in only research applications. The system was ordered in the fall of 1999 and is scheduled for delivery in the final months of 2000. In addition to its imaging capabilities, the Varian system can be used for in-vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a technique for determining the structure and functional relationships of chemical compounds in the brain. NMR spectroscopy can be a valuable complement to functional MRI imaging of the brain.

"Varian has demonstrated a commitment to the support of advanced research with its NMR imaging developments," noted Dr. Renshaw. "By acquiring the Varian's 4T MRI scanner, we will significantly improve the quality of data in our research. Over time we believe that this research will lead to improved diagnostic methods and new treatment strategies."

"It is very gratifying to assist such an esteemed research institution by providing a system that can be used for such vital and potentially groundbreaking research," said Allen J. Lauer, Varian, Inc. president and CEO. "The work in functional brain imaging underway at McLean's Brain Imaging Center is of growing interest to Varian, Inc. because it is an important application of our NMR technology and demonstrates the growth opportunities that exist in the field."

McLean Hospital is a comprehensive healthcare system committed to providing a full range of superior quality, cost-effective mental health services in the Boston area and beyond. The largest psychiatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Partners Healthcare System, McLean is a world leader in the treatment of mental illness and chemical dependency, research into the causes of mental illness and the training of generations of mental health care providers. The Brain Imaging Center of McLean is the largest, most comprehensive MRI facility owned and operated by a psychiatric hospital.

Varian, Inc. is a major supplier of MRI research systems worldwide. Much of the pioneering work in the functional MRI field was done on a Varian system at the University of Minnesota's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research. There, researchers use functional MRI to visualize motor, sensory, and cognitive activity within the human nervous system. In addition to the University of Minnesota, Varian high-field MRI systems are in use at Brookhaven National Lab, Upton, N.Y.; Neuroscience Institute; Robarts Research Institute, Ontario, Canada; and Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, commonly known as RIKEN; and Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

New systems are on order for several additional facilities: the University of California, Berkeley; Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan.

Nuclear magnetic resonance is the technological foundation for MRI systems, as well as for NMR spectrometers used in chemical, bio-science, materials, and pharmaceutical analysis applications. Varian, Inc. was the first company to commercialize the NMR spectrometer some 50 years ago and remains at the forefront of NMR technology today.

Varian, Inc. is a world leader in scientific instruments and vacuum technologies, serving life science, health care, chemical, environmental, and industrial customers. It is a major supplier of NMR systems, analytical instrument solutions, vacuum products and services, and specialized contract electronics manufacturing. The company manufactures in 11 locations in North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim and employs some 3,500 people. Varian, Inc. had 1999 sales of $599 million. Additional information about Varian, Inc. is available at www.varianinc.com.