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.