Conference Highlights Time Medical’s Effort To Bring High-quality, Low-cost MRI Systems To India

Feb. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- BANGALORE, INDIA, APRIL 27, 2010 – Industry sources say the penetration of MRI in India is extremely low – fewer than one machine per 1 million people. That is largely due to the high cost of most systems, a significant barrier to mass application of the technology in many developing countries.

If Time Medical has its way, that may soon change.

Time Medical is the first company in the world to commercialize a High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) Radio Frequency (RF) coil that replaces conventional copper coils. The result is a higher signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, resulting in significant improvement in image quality (more than 200%) without the need to acquire a higher strength magnet.

On April 13, Time Medical launched a conference in Bangalore, India, to underscore its ability to proliferate low-cost, high-quality MRI systems that can benefit the India market. The conference, titled MRI Over the Next Decade - The India Opportunity, was held at the Leela Palace Hotel and attended by more than 80 prominent radiologists, orthopedics and hospital administrators from across India. Companies represented included such important players as Max Healthcare, Manipal Health Systems, Apollo Healthcare, Mallya Healthcare, Santosh Diagnostics and various Defense Services hospitals--including Command Hospital Research and Referral Hospital.

Speaking during the conference was Professor Q.Y. Ma, founder and CEO of Time Medical.  He wasted little time introducing the company‟s patented HTS technology while sharing his important dream with those in attendance:  “Time Medical plans to bring to India cost-effective imaging to assist in the early detection of critical illnesses within a larger section of society,” he said. “Going forward, we will also explore the option of having an assembly line in India. We hope to be able to marry the hardware expertise from China with the software brains of India to create game-changing MRI systems.

Also addressing conferees was T.J. Robertson, COO for Time Medical, who showcased the company’s two cost-efficient MR systems, both of which have been cleared by U.S. Food & Drug Administration: the PICA, a 0.35T whole-body open MRI scanner, and the MONA, a 0.2T orthopedic MRI system.

According to Robertson, integration of Time Medical‟s orthopedic HTS coil in the PICA system has resulted in SNR gains of between 200 and 300% compared with conventional copper coils. Such increases eliminate the need to acquire stronger, more expensive magnets, a cost that developing countries can little afford, he said.

The conference highlight occurred when world-renowned radiologist Dr. William Bradley, chairman of the Department of Radiology at the University of California, San Diego, addressed the audience over a video conference link. According to Bradley, a scientific advisor to Time Medical, the future of MRI lies with innovative technology such as the company‟s HTS coil.

To emphasize the work that Time Medical has contributed to MRI, Dr. Uday Patil,  a consultant radiologist with Manipal Hospital Systems, backed up  the company‟s  robust  claims.  “HTS coil technology could significantly improve image resolution so that the diagnostic accuracy of low-field MRI systems would improve substantially,” he said. “HTS technology also enables the imaging that is done using low-field MRI systems to compare favorably with imaging using high-cost superconducting MRI units.  This will enable high-quality imaging to be made more affordable to a wider population of people -without compromising image quality.”

He added, “Conferences such as this help the fraternity get a better understanding of the options they have when administering treatment.”

Dr.  R. Varadarajulu, director of the Clinisys Medical Research Academy and a consultant neurologist withBangalore Medical Centre, went a step further. “HTS technology is the best thing to happen in neuroradiology.

This gen-next technology is a clinical tool for cost-effective neuroprecision and helps us achieve the „time is brain‟ motto. It is the ideal solution to penetrate the underserved community for better health care delivery.”Meanwhile, Time Medical is continuing its quest to develop additional HTS coil products for integration into new or existing low- and high-fieldsystems.  These include spine, breast, and head coils in addition to a large coil array for whole-body scanners.

For further enquiries, please contact: Tracy Kuok_Vice President, Corporate & External Affairs, Time-Medical at tracy.kuok@time-medical.com | Tel: +65 6776-7819

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