OXFORD, England, July 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Children who currently have to undergo biopsies to diagnose
their liver disease could in future be saved from this procedure,
after a €1.1M grant was awarded to a UK-Poland consortium to
develop a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-based medical device for
children.
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One in five children in Europe
suffer from fatty liver disease, but clinical symptoms only surface
at later stages when treatment options are limited. Early detection
would have a massive impact on how this disease is managed, but the
current diagnostic is a painful, invasive biopsy, as Professor
Piotr Socha, from the Children's
Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw, explains:
"Liver biopsy is important for making diagnosis of various liver
diseases and is frequently used in follow up to make decisions on
therapy. We try to decrease indications for liver biopsy in
children because it can cause complications and needs sedation and
anesthesia."
LiverMultiScan uses a painless, 15 minute MRI scan which
characterises liver tissue. Developed by Perspectum Diagnostics in
Oxford, UK, this test already has
regulatory clearance for use in adults to aid physicians in
diagnosing early liver disease.
Dr Rajarshi Banerjee, CEO of
Perspectum, says: "We know so little about pediatric liver diseases
and their natural history because, until now, we have been limited
in our ability to diagnose and follow these children up. MRI is
safe, easy to perform and communicate to patients and families with
clear images, and will help us find and treat the thousands of
children in Europe who currently
only get diagnosed late, if at all, because of the need for liver
biopsy."
Supported by funding from EUREKA/Eurostars, the Kids4LIFe
consortium will develop and validate LiverMultiScan
specifically for patients under 16. In a clinical trial, children
who would normally undergo liver biopsy as part of their usual care
will also be offered a LiverMultiScan. The information
gathered from this study will help the consortium understand how
and when the technology is best used in the diagnosis of pediatric
liver disease.
As part of the project, a cloud-based health data management
system will be developed by the Polish telemedicine company
Silvermedia. This platform will allow rapid transfer of liver
scans, as well as other health information and diagnostic test
results, between local pediatricians and experts in other cities
and countries.
Doctors and patients can learn more about LiverMultiScan
and the Kids4LIFe consortium by visiting
http://www.perspectum-diagnostics.com.
Further information
About LiverMultiScan
LiverMultiscan is now installed in medical institutions
on three continents. Used in the clinical management of patients
with chronic liver disease, the technology offers a quantitative
liver assessment in a safe, non-invasive 15-minute MRI scan.
Analysis is based on assessment of native properties of liver
tissue, accurate measurement of liver fat and other metrics. The
technology is currently being used to assess primary endpoints in
clinical trials for investigational therapies to treat NAFLD and
NASH. LiverMultiScan is manufactured by Mirada Medical, and
has CE-marking and FDA-clearance.
About Perspectum Diagnostics
Perspectum Diagnostics is a medical imaging company founded by
scientists and physicians from the University
of Oxford. It has pioneered the use of quantitative magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) to accurately detect and measure biomarkers
of liver disease.
About Silvermedia
Silvermedia, based in Cracow, Poland is a leading provider of telemedicine
solutions in cardiology, audiology and gerontology. Having ISO13485
certification, the company delivers web based, scalable,
multi-domain systems, including state-of-the-art applications for
the most popular mobile platforms.
Contact
Perspectum Diagnostics
OCFI| New Road | Oxford OX11BY |
UK
Tel: +44(0)1865-261457
info@perspectum-diagnostics.com
http://perspectum-diagnostics.com
SOURCE Perspectum Diagnostics Ltd