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Investor Contact:
Steven M. Oreskovich
Chief Financial Officer
414.977.4000
ir@mergehealthcare.com |
NEWS RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
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MERGE OEM SOFTWARE USED IN NEW
STUDY FOR ALZHEIMER'S
Milwaukee, WI, July 14, 2008 – Merge Healthcare Incorporated (NASDAQ: MRGE; TSX: MRG) (the "Company"), announced today that its OEM Division’s software was used in a new study for Alzheimer's as more fully described below, in the press release issued from the Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario.
Biological marker for Alzheimer’s holds promise for earlier diagnosis and treatment
Researchers at Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario have found clear evidence that increases in the size of the brain ventricles are directly associated with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Ventricles are fluid-filled cavities in the brain. The research, led by Robarts scientist Robert Bartha, shows the volume of the brain ventricles expands as surrounding tissue dies. The research was published online today in the neurology journal Brain.
Currently, diagnosis for Alzheimer’s relies on neuro-cognitive assessments, such as testing of memory, ability to problem solve, count, etc. Definitive diagnosis is not possible until after death when an autopsy can reveal the presence of amyloid plaques and ‘tangles’ in brain tissue.
Previous research has shown the link between ventricle size and Alzheimer’s over longer time intervals. The research conducted at Robarts Research Institute shows that ventricle size increases with mild cognitive impairment before a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, and continues to increase with the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease after only six months.
“These findings mean that, in the future, by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure changes in brain ventricle size, we may be able to provide earlier and more definitive diagnosis,” said Bartha, who is also an Associate Professor in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in Medical Biophysics. “In addition, as new treatments for Alzheimer’s are developed, the measurement of brain ventricle changes can also be used to quickly determine the effectiveness of the treatment.”
the research also showed that Alzheimer’s patients with a genetic marker for Alzheimer’s disease exhibited faster expansion in ventricle volume.
The research was performed by utilizing MRI scans from individuals from across North America. Graduate student Sean Nestor, a coauthor, examined 500 data sets of individuals at baseline and six months later. The images were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a large multi-site trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the United States and the pharmaceutical industry. The project includes an online database of imaging information gathered from 800 people at more than 50 sites across the U.S. and Canada. The images are MRIs of individuals with no cognitive impairment, those with mild cognitive impairment and people with Alzheimer’s disease. The database can be used by any primary researcher.
One of the ADNI sites is at London’s Lawson Health Research Institute, and is led by Dr. Michael Borrie, a co-investigator on the research. Dr. Borrie is Medical Director of the Aging Brain and Memory Clinic and Geriatric Clinical Trials Group at Parkwood Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health Care, London, a Lawson researcher and Chair of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Examination of the MRIs was made possible by using software developed by Cedara Software, the OEM division of Merge Healthcare. In the past, researchers would have to manually or semi-automatically trace the ventricles in many brain images, each showing a “slice” of the brain. The Merge OEM software team, led by Vittorio Accomazzi, a coauthor in the research, worked closely with the researchers to refine the software to allow the processing of large volumes of data very quickly.
"This is one of the first major research studies published using data from ADNI", said Borrie, "but there will be many more neuroimaging and biomarker discoveries to arise from the ADNI project. It is a tremendous opportunity for researchers anywhere in the world to use the ADNI databases, to collaborate and share their findings in a new way that will move Alzheimer's Disease research forward more quickly, objectively and effectively. Already we are building new international collaborations, arising from ADNI, that we could not have even imagined."
For more information contact: Kathy Wallis, Media Relations Officer - 519-661-2111 ext 81136, Kathy.wallis@schulich.uwo.ca
Note: Two video clips showing MRIs of the brain ventricles have been posted on the Western website.
CIip #1 - Sag_ventricle_red.wmv
Caption - A series of MRI images or slices of the brain are obtained that provide contrast between different kinds of tissues including gray matter, white matter, and cerebral spinal fluid. The ventricles are cavities in the brain filled with cerebral spinal fluid, which normally appear black in these images. The ventricles are segmented from the rest of the brain tissue and pixels that are part of the ventricle structure are colored red. The series of images shown in this clip illustrates the segmented ventricle (in red) in each two dimensional slice throughout the whole brain.
Clip #2 - Sag_slice_with_ventricle.wmv
Caption: After the ventricle is segmented, it can be rendered in three dimensions for viewing. This clip illustrates a rendered ventricle superimposed on a single MRI image to show its position within the brain. Many parts of the ventricle are adjacent to brain tissues that die as Alzheimer's disease progresses. As a result, the size of the ventricle expands and the rate of expansion is different between normal elderly individuals, people with mild cognitive impairment, and people with Alzheimer's disease.
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Merge Healthcare is a leading medical imaging software and services company. Our innovative software solutions use leading-edge imaging software technologies that accelerate market delivery for our OEM customers, while our end-user solutions improve our customers' productivity and enhance the quality of patient care they provide. For additional information, visit our website at www.merge.com.
Except for the historical information herein, the matters discussed in this news release include forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. When used in this press release, the words “will,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “expects” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, market acceptance and performance of the Company’s products and services, including the Company’s teleradiology product and services; delay in the offering of the Company’s teleradiology product and services; the Company’s ability to attract and retain qualified radiologist consultants; risks and effects of the past restatement of financial statements of the Company and other actions that may be taken or required as a result of such restatement; the Company’s ability to generate sufficient cash from operations to meet future operating, financing and capital requirements; risks associated with the Company's failing to make timely filings with the SEC or its inability to meet the requirements of The NASDAQ Stock Market for continued listing, including possible delisting; costs, risks and effects of legal proceedings and investigations, including the formal investigation being conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and class action and derivative lawsuits; the impact of competitive products and pricing; and other risk factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events, developments, or changed circumstances, or for any other reason.
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Attn: Melanie Gretzon
Merge Healthcare
6737 West Washington St.
Suite 2250
Milwaukee, WI 53214
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