News | Press Releases

September 30, 2005

TOSHIBA AND UC IRVINE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP STATE-OF-THE-ART IMAGING RESEARCH CENTER

Center to House World's Most Advanced 64-slice CT System and Offer Certification Program That Meets ACC Guidelines

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 30, 2005– UC Irvine School of Medicine, through its division of cardiology, today announced a joint agreement to collaborate on development of the UCI/Toshiba CT Education and Research Center. The training center is being built on the UCI campus and will be open to UCI medical students and staff beginning next month.

This month, the center is installing Toshiba's industry-leading multislice computed tomography (CT) cardiac imaging technology, the Aquilion™ 64 CFX system, to improve the detection and treatment of heart disease. UCI also plans to install several Vital Images workstations, which will allow students and faculty to view, manipulate and store various data sets acquired by the system.

"Our goal is to develop a cardiovascular center at UCI that rivals the world's best," said Dr. Jagat Narula, chief of cardiology at UCI Medical Center and an associate dean in the School of Medicine. "We need state-of-the art technology to complement our advanced research and training programs," he added. Toshiba's Aquilion 64 CFX will allow UCI to provide the most in-depth training and education possible, especially in non-invasive coronary imaging. A recent issue (Sept. 5) of TIME magazine has highlighted the importance of noninvasive imaging of coronary arteries, and the UCI Center will bring the latest technology and cutting edge diagnostic and research capabilities to Orange County.

As part of the agreement, UCI will develop a continuing medical education curriculum for cardiac CT imaging techniques using the Aquilion 64 CFX. The course will satisfy stringent guidelines for imaging, which meet the American College of Cardiology's Level I and II training standards as outlined by Medicare for reimbursement purposes. Toshiba, in turn, will send a minimum of 34 physicians per year to UCI for training for each of the three years of the agreement.

Research at the UCI Education and Research Center, located in the University Research Park adjacent to the School of Medicine, will be performed using the Aquilion 64 CFX under the direct supervision of world-renown physicians and UCI staff: Dr. Jagat Narula, Dr. Mani Vannan, Dr. David Bello and Dr. Chowdhury Ahsan. In addition, UCI will provide its views on future product developments through Toshiba's "Voice of the Customer" feedback program and will serve as part of Toshiba's clinical advisory panel.

"We are thrilled to partner with UCI to bring this innovative research and training program to one of the foremost medical centers in California," said Doug Ryan, director of the CT business unit at Toshiba. "Science and medicine have benefited greatly from collaborations such as this, and we're proud to work with the great minds at UCI to advance imaging techniques for cardiology and other specialties."

Toshiba's Aquilion 64 CFX-World's Most Advanced 64-Slice CT System

The Aquilion 64 CFX allows physicians to easily capture precise, motion-free images of the heart and coronary arteries to identify soft plaque or measure coronary blockage, and detect signs of disease at its earliest stages, reducing the need for high-risk surgical procedures.

Featuring the most advanced multi-detector CT technology available, the Aquilion 64 CFX utilizes Toshiba's unique 64-row Quantum detector, which enables the Aquilion CT scanner to acquire 64 simultaneous slices of 0.5 mm with each 400-millisecond gantry revolution, resulting in precise isotropic imaging of any region of the body. Additionally, the Aquilion 64 CFX's superior multi-detector design produces the best low contrast resolution at the lowest dose.

About the UC Irvine School of Medicine and Medical Center

Since becoming part of UC Irvine in 1967, the School of Medicine has combined the strengths of major research and teaching activities and a level 1 trauma Medical Center with the bounty of an incomparable Southern California location. In fewer than four decades, UCI has become internationally recognized for efforts that are improving lives through research and discovery, fostering excellence in scholarship and teaching, and engaging and enriching the community in medical research and treatment programs. The UCI Medical Center (located in Orange) is the only university medical center serving Orange County and surrounding areas. As one of five University of California medical centers, it is recognized for specialized, quality patient care, as well as for the expertise of its physicians and researchers.

Aquilion™ is a trademark of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.