Expanding the Reach of Molecular Imaging

As the world becomes more educated and advanced in molecular medicine, the healthcare industry is experiencing a growing convergence of therapeutics and diagnostics. GE Healthcare, a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company, is at the forefront of this convergence with the latest in radiopharmacy and pre-clinical innovations.

“At GE Healthcare, we are unique in that we have the resources, the passion, and the vision to provide our customers the solutions they need to drive this transformation of healthcare forward,” says Terri Bresenham, VP of the Molecular Imaging business at GE Healthcare. “We are able to provide our customers with the total Molecular Imaging solution. Encompassing not only state of the art equipment, but site design and operations planning, personnel training and regulatory compliance consulting from our team of experts, all from one touch point within GE.”

To help ensure safety to patients, governmental authorities regulate the quality control of pharmaceutical products. This regulation is rooted in the principles of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). GMP applies to the entire manufacturing process: from the incoming raw materials, their storage and handling, the actual production of the final product, and the packaging, storage and distribution. All of this is supported by a quality management system heavily driven by process documentation. GE is committed to both working within these guidelines and enabling independent radiopharmacies to do the same.

Molecular imaging is only possible with the latest in imaging agents and radiopharmaceuticals. GE Healthcare simplifies the complexity of radiopharmacy infrastructure into ONE touch-point solution going beyond equipment technology. Expanding upon TRACERcenter-GMP’s platform of state-of-the-art instrumentation, comprehensive documentation and GMP training and consulting services, GE now offers ONE complete service platform, ONE single point of contact with world-wide coverage. With the support of GE Healthcare, the new Quality Assurance and Licensing Packages enable PET tracer production centers to meet GMP guidelines for successful application of operational licenses. Together with our customers, GE can help understand disease from the beginning by increasing access to Molecular Imaging.

Opening the door to new diagnostic imaging applications, GE Healthcare’s pre-clinical imaging serves the development of new therapeutics and tracers by using the newest imaging technologies with animal disease models. GE Healthcare is continuously investing in the latest technology to support the growing needs of biomedical researchers. In the case of small animal imaging, we are harnessing the benefits of digital technology. GE Healthcare is the only company to offer all digital imaging solutions in a pre-clinical imaging portfolio. Digital technology reduces traditional analog noise, improving image quality and diagnostic confidence. The Triumph pre-clinical system is a fully integrated molecular imaging system for biomedical research and pharmaceutical development, designed to accommodate any combination of SPECT, PET, and CT.

“Equipment technology is advancing rapidly, says David Lapointe, GM of GE Healthcare’s Pre-clinical Imaging business. “The convergence of multiple modalities in one instrument provides the most flexibility when dealing with equipment, time and animal constraints.