Andover, Mass. -- Philips Medical Systems, a division of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI), and the medical and engineering schools of Dartmouth College, have entered into a multi-year research agreement to develop innovative imaging capabilities that aim to better enable earlier detection and treatment of heart disease, cancer and neurological diseases. For Dartmouth, this is the first of its kind collaboration that brings together world-class academic and clinical researchers from Dartmouth Medical School and the Thayer School of Engineering with industry-leading technology and scientists from Philips to develop and expedite novel diagnostics and therapies to improve clinical care.

As part of the collaboration between Philips and Dartmouth, researchers will utilize a range of Philips imaging solutions, including using targeted molecular imaging to help visualize newly formed blood vessels in the cardiovascular system. Through functional and metabolic imaging, researchers may be able to measure the impact of these new vessels on tissue function and blood perfusion (the ability to force a fluid through an organ). Additionally, by utilizing modalities like magnetic resonance (MR) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, researchers may be able to develop new techniques for diagnosing and treating of patients with cardiac and peripheral ischemia.

Dartmouth's Advanced Imaging Center (AIC) is housed at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, the principal site for research including clinical trials in cancer, cardiology, and neurology. Truly collaborative, the AIC leverages the depth and range of Dartmouth's expertise in advanced imaging technologies through an interdisciplinary approach for the development of novel diagnostics and treatment opportunities that translate directly into improved clinical care.


"Improving diagnosis and treatment options for cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurological conditions represents one of the biggest challenges in medicine," said Dartmouth Medical School Dean Stephen P. Spielberg, M.D. "The role of medical imaging in these areas has grown exponentially in recent years, with groundbreaking work taking place in imaging the brain, the heart, and other organs. Working with our colleagues from the Thayer School and Philips, Dartmouth sees the opportunity to combine the intellectual strengths of academia with an industry leader as a key to further unlock advances in medical imaging."

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