New MRI technology allows imaging inside vascular stents
15 April 2005
Rochester, NY, USA. Biophan Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: BIPH), has
announced results from testing of the company's patented technology that
will enable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within vascular stents,
allowing physicians for the first time to assess the health of stented
arteries by means of non-invasive MRI technology.
Stents are used to expand, and keep open, blood vessels that have
narrowed as a result of coronary artery disease. They are one of the most
successful-and rapidly growing-medical devices in use today, and have been
implanted in millions of patients worldwide to help ensure healthy blood
flow. Coronary stents are a multi-billion dollar market. Current stent
technology presents certain significant diagnostic limitations that have
been solved by Biophan's proprietary technology.
"Current stents are safe for use with MRI, particularly when patients are
allowed a period of time after implantation before receiving an MRI, but are
not MRI-compatible, and thus cannot be clearly imaged with MRI systems,"
said Dr. Michael Friebe, CEO of Biophan-Europe. "This is an important
distinction, because it means that a patient with a stent can safely have an
MRI procedure performed for another indication, such as a knee injury, but
the MR image in the region around and within the stent is negatively
affected by the implant. No current stent on the market allows visualization
of blood clots or restenosis within the stent. Biophan's proprietary
resonator technology can solve this problem, enabling an entirely new method
of evaluating patients after stent implantation."
Currently, evaluation of restenosis within a stent requires an additional
interventional procedure-either intravenous ultrasound or an angiography
procedure involving the infusion of a potentially toxic contrast agent
combined with imaging under X-ray. Both of these procedures require the
insertion of a catheter and guidewire into the patient. Biophan's technology
to enable MR imaging within a stent would allow a non-invasive diagnostic
procedure to provide similar data, eliminating the need for catheterization
of the patient, exposure of the patient to ionizing radiation to obtain the
X-ray image, and exposure of the patient to contrast agents. The Biophan
procedure would allow for safer, less invasive and less costly evaluation of
this patient population.
The technology revealed today employs the Company's "active" MRI
solutions that use proprietary resonant frequency circuitry to enable
superior visualization within an MRI. The Biophan-Europe division, based in
Germany and formerly known as AMRIS GmbH, developed the resonance circuit
technology and is a leading innovator of medical devices and technology
solutions for MRI, in which Biophan recently acquired a controlling
interest.
"Biophan is currently working on combining Biophan-Europe's resonance
technologies with Biophan's nanomagnetic thin-film coating technology to
enable the production of improved, lower-profile stent devices. We believe
this will ultimately provide the ideal solution for the stent industry,"
said Mr. Weiner.
The technology is demonstrated with actual MRI images, and illustrative
graphics, in a slide presentation on the Company's website. To view the
presentation, please visit
http://www.biophan.com/presentations/MRIImage.ppt.
Mr. Weiner added that Biophan has recently achieved significant progress
in the establishment of relationships with manufacturers of several medical
devices. "I am pleased to have reached the agreement we were seeking with a
preferred partner, achieving fair value for our technology. We look forward
to announcing the specifics as soon as we are authorised to do so."
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