GE Healthcare has
developed 'Discovery IQ', an advanced Positron Emission Tomography/Computed
Tomography (PET/CT) molecular imaging system designed in India for the world.
The company invested Rs.90 crore for developing this new technology.
The new Discovery IQ is
the result of three years of close collaborative development with Indian
nuclear medicine physicians and oncologists. The new GE Discovery IQ PET/CT
comes with advanced early disease detection capabilities as well as
measurements to understand patient’s response to cancer treatment.
“Three years back, we
promised to develop an advanced yet affordable PET/CT to improve access to
early cancer detection. We have realised that commitment with the launch of
Discovery IQ that is 40 per cent more affordable and can usher in personalized
treatment for the patient”, said Terri Bresenham, president& chief
executive officer, GE Healthcare South Asia.
“Molecular imaging is the
epitome of healthcare imaging technologies.
GE is very pleased to demonstrate to the world India’s capabilities in
developing the most sophisticated medical technologies.” she added.
A state-of-the-art imaging
centre requires an imaging system – PET/CT to scan the human body and a
cyclotron to produce bio-markers that can light up cancer cells. However,
setting up of a molecular imaging centre is very expensive and calls for an
investment as high as Rs.30 crore. The
huge investment has prevented proliferation of this early detection technology
in India, said the company.
The value of PET/CT for
diagnostic imaging in oncology is well established with its capabilities to
combine anatomic and functional aspects of the body to provide a complete
picture of patient’s health. But now,
even brighter possibilities are coming to light, with new quantitative tools
that enable more consistent PET measurements.
Around 70 per cent of
cancer patients do not respond to their
initial chemotherapy treatment. This is
where PET/CT can help quickly determine treatment effectiveness, because
metabolic changes in a tumor occur earlier than structural changes. It also
helps physicians determine how well a treatment is working after as few as 1 to
2 cycles of chemotherapy. Therefore PET/CT plays critical role in treatment
monitoring and can reduce overall cost to patient, said R Sureshkumar, general
manager, PET/CT product development, GE Healthcare.
“With affordable Discovery
IQ, PET/CT can become an integral part
of cancer care management for every cancer centres in India”, said N R
Balamurugan, director, oncology, GE Healthcare South Asia. 
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