Gamma Medica-Ideas and Mayo Clinic Collaborate on new Breast Cancer Research Project
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Gamma Medica-Ideas Inc. (GM-I) has announced its collaboration with Mayo Clinic in a new breast cancer research project.
The main goal of the project, funded by a $1.8 million National Cancer Institute grant, is to document the advantages of using GM-I’s LumaGEM dual-headed Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) technology for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Additionally, researchers hope to prove LumaGEM’s capabilities in breast cancer staging, therapy planning, monitoring and follow-up. The LumaGEM MBI system offers significant advances in resolution and contrast, which has allowed for identification of millimeter sized breast cancers missed by mammography, especially in women with dense breast tissue. The clinical trial will validate promising preliminary findings, and also evaluate MBI performance in other cases of known or suspected breast cancer.
The two-phase collaborative project will enroll approximately 500 patients. Project researchers will use the LumaGEM MBI imager to non-invasively define the characteristics of a patient’s breast cancer cells at a molecular level by using established and novel radioactive markers.
During Phase I, a dual-headed CZT LumaGEM will be installed at Mayo Clinic. In phase II, an additional LumaGEM system will be installed at Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles, CA). Dr. Iraj Khalkhali (Los Angeles, CA) will take delivery of yet another LumaGEM. The patient studies will be conducted with all three systems to compare the diagnostic capabilities of this device to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Mayo Clinic will subsequently evaluate promising new radiopharmaceuticals for the detection of breast cancer. Finally, Cedars-Sinai will conduct a study demonstrating the dual-isotope capability of this system and compare the diagnostic potential of both isotopes.
Gamma Medica-Ideas’ LumaGEM is a gamma camera used for diagnostic imaging, including Molecular Breast Imaging. The LumaGEM system features fully solid state digital detection utilizing eV Products™ Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) to provide superior resolution compared with the conventional scintillation camera technology traditionally used in gamma cameras. It also allows minimal dead space at the edges of the image, permitting the closest access to the chest wall.
