GE and Cytogen Form Marketing Alliance

An alliance to market a total molecular imaging system to aid the evaluation of the extent and spread of prostate cancer has been announced by GE Medical Systems (Waukesha, WI, USA) and Cytogen Corp. (Princeton, NJ, USA).

GE's Infinia Hawkeye imaging system will be integrated with the ProstaScint imaging agent of Cytogen , combining the anatomic detail of computed tomography (CT) with the molecular imaging provided by nuclear medicine products such as ProstaScint. The Infinia Hawkeye provides CT-based attenutation correction and localization for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies. The two companies will work together to advance patient and doctor awareness of fusion imaging.

Prosta Scint is a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody that specifically targets prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). Because prostate cancer cells enhance the expression of PSMA, the ProstaScint molecular imaging procedure can detect the extent and spread of cancer, particularly in the lymph nodes, a common first site of cancer metastases in the body.

"The combining of CT data with ProstaScint SPECT data provides valuable additional guidance to the clinician in evaluating potential tumor sites,” said Professor Keith E. Britton, M.D., head of the nuclear medicine department at St. Bartholomew's Hospital (London, UK). "This technique will also be useful in enhancing other radioimmunoscintigraphic studies, such as the imaging of colon and ovarian cancer.”





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