VirtualScopics announced that it has made scientific and operational investments in Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE).
VirtualScopics has recently been awarded two new projects supporting pharmaceutical companies integrating MRE into their global, multi-site clinical trials.
MRE is an emerging imaging technique that uses Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) coupled with low frequency mechanical waves to provide quantifiable measurements of liver stiffness.
In the clinical setting, liver stiffness is used as a surrogate indicator of liver disease and fibrosis. Initially approved by the FDA in 2009, MRE is becoming the preferred method for evaluating patients with liver fibrosis due its non-invasive and highly-sensitive capabilities.
Dr. Edward Ashton, Chief Scientific Officer at VirtualScopics, said, "We are seeing a growing demand for this relatively new technology to be implemented in clinical trials as a means to quantitatively characterize liver stiffness.
"VirtualScopics has been working closely with academic and industry leaders in the MRI field to develop our own MRE acquisition and analysis techniques. Our efforts are putting us in the un-paralleled position to offer our customers seamless implementation of MRE in their trials."
Dr. Ashton is a sitting member of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)/Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) committee for MRE.
QIBA aims to advance quantitative imaging and the use of imaging biomarkers in clinical trials. As a member of the committee, Dr. Ashton is actively engaged in advancing MRE development in the industry.