WAUKESHA, WI, AUGUST 4, 2008  -- GE Healthcare announced today the commercial release of a new pre-clinical computed tomography scanner specifically designed to accelerate research in the areas of cardiac disease and drug development.
 
The GE eXplore CT 120 scanner is an all-new design based on years of research CT scanner experience. Using x-ray source technology derived from clinical systems, the eXplore CT 120 features 100 times the output of previous GE laboratory research imaging systems. This power enables x-ray exposures fast enough and detailed enough to capture the motion of a beating mouse heart, and brings the power of cardiac CT imaging to a popular mammal used in disease research and drug development.

The power of the new x-ray source also allows for more effective filtering of the x-ray beam, reducing the x-ray dose to the research subject compared to previous scanners, while greatly reducing the scan time. 

"Morphological imaging is the key to understanding cardiac kinetics," said Professor André Constantinesco of Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg. "This scanner provides us the ability to acquire 4D, high-resolution datasets in living mice improving our ability to quantify rodent models of cardiac diseases."

The scanner's user software is designed for throughput and, with its powerful computing hardware, makes the scanner four times faster than previous designs.  Industry-standard DICOM compatibility and an optional analysis workstation assist in timely image analysis and production of research data.

"We are excited to introduce this brand-new scanner design for the drug development and research market," said Jim Mitchell, general manager for molecular imaging technologies at GE Healthcare. "It brings cardiac imaging and high throughput capabilities that before now were not available in a laboratory CT imaging system. Together with our new tri-modal offerings and CZT SPECT, the eXplore CT 120 makes GE Healthcare a one-stop-shop for advanced pre-clinical imaging technologies."