October 27, 2009, Ottawa, Ontario
A new research project will help health-care professionals track radiation exposure in patients undergoing medical tests such as MRIs and other forms of diagnostic imaging, ensuring Canadians receive safe doses of radiation by providing physicians with a snapshot of their patients' cumulative radiation exposure from medical procedures.
The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) today announced the signing of this innovative research agreement among the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Agfa HealthCare Inc., Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation and McMaster University.
"Our government supports strategic science and technology partnerships such as this because they improve the quality of life of Canadians, create jobs and strengthen the economy," said Minister Goodyear. "This radiation-monitoring project will have important health-care benefits for Canadians and for people around the world."
The Dose Registry and Radiation Exposure Monitor project will help to create a national radiation-exposure registry. This leading-edge registry will be the first of its kind in Canada. The ultimate goal is to commercialize the technology used to create the registry and market it to health-care providers worldwide.
"Collaborative research projects such as this increase the competitiveness of a region, creating a dynamic location where companies, government, and universities can network, invest and bring innovative technologies to market." said NRC President Dr. Pierre Coulombe. "The results: new knowledge, new skills, new partnerships and new business opportunities focused on the priorities of Canadians."
Meanwhile, Agfa HealthCare will establish a new office at the NRC Industry Partnership Facility in Fredericton, N.B., to carry out its research.
"Agfa HealthCare is committed to helping improve the quality of health care in Canada," said Dave Wilson, Vice-President of Agfa HealthCare in Canada. "We are always looking for partnership opportunities to support further research in health-care IT. Through this joint project, we are offering innovative solutions to current issues in the health-care industry, which will help to improve health-care delivery in Canada."
The project will also assist in a wide range of scientific studies on the short- and long-term effects of radiation on human health. This will help health-care professionals determine the safest diagnostic-imaging solutions for patients.
"It is critically important to be able to track radiation doses in medical patients," said Dr. David Koff, Chief of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging for the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation. "We are proud to partner with NRC and Agfa HealthCare to help health-care professionals find the best solution for their patients."
About the Dose Registry and Radiation Exposure Monitor project
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Agfa HealthCare Inc., Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation and McMaster University have signed a collaborative agreement to begin a Dose Registry and Radiation Exposure Monitoring project.
This new research project will provide critical data that will help health-care professionals track radiation exposure in patients undergoing medical tests such as MRIs and other forms of diagnostic imaging. This will ensure that Canadians receive safe doses of radiation during medical tests by providing physicians with a snapshot of their patients' cumulative radiation exposure from medical procedures.
The project will assist in creating an innovative national radiation-exposure registry. This leading-edge registry will be the first of its kind in Canada and will be marketed to health-care providers worldwide.
The radiation-monitoring registry will help to develop a standards-based, scalable decision-support platform for physicians to ensure patient safety when prescribing treatments. The registry will also support a wide range of scientific studies on the short term and long-term effects of radiation on human health.
About medical imaging and radiation
Medical imaging technology has become an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool in patient care. However, there is increasing awareness and concern about the levels of radiation involved in imaging procedures and the impact of cumulative exposure on human health.
That's why NRC researchers and their partners are creating new ways to calculate the amount of radiation to which patients are exposed during their lifetimes.
With a rise in the use of medical tests such MRIs and other forms of diagnostic imaging by health-care professionals, it has become important to create a system to measure the impact of repeated, low-dose radiation on patients, especially its effect on children and radiation-sensitive organs.
About the NRC Industry Partnership Facility and NRC Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT)
Agfa HealthCare will establish a new office at the NRC Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT) Industry Partnership Facility in Fredericton, N.B., to carry out this research.
The NRC Industry Partnership Facility in Fredericton supports innovative companies, increasing the competitiveness of the region by creating a dynamic location where businesses and government can network, invest and bring innovative technologies to market.
Clients that incubate at the NRC Industry Partnership Facility have access to leading-edge R&D, innovative equipment, flexible lab and office space, and some of NRC's most talented business and technology professionals.
It occupies nearly an entire floor of the NRC-IIT building on the University of New Brunswick campus. Clients include such success stories as Atlantic Hydrogen and Virtual Expert Clinics.
In the last six years, technology and services developed by NRC-IIT across Canada produced more than $195 million in sales, created 978 person-years of employment, and generated tax revenue of about $39 million. In 2008-09, NRC-IIT generated more than $3 million in revenue from service fees and licensing. That same year, Canadian companies using NRC-IIT services and technology had record sales of $40 million.
About Agfa HealthCare Inc.
Agfa HealthCare Inc., a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow, diagnostic-image management solutions and state-of-the-art systems for capturing and processing images in hospitals and health-care facilities around the world.
Agfa HealthCare has more than 100 years of health-care experience related to diagnostic imaging and is recognized as a pioneer in the health-care IT market since the early 1990s.
Today, Agfa HealthCare has sales offices and representatives in more than 100 markets worldwide. Sales for Agfa HealthCare in 2008 totalled more than $1.8 billion.
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation supports more than 41,000 inpatient admissions a year, including acute, rehabilitation and chronic-care cases. It serves approximately 2.3 million people in Hamilton, central south and central-west Ontario.
Hamilton Health Science Corporation is comprised of multiple hospitals in the Hamilton region with a wealth of knowledge about diagnostic imaging, hospital workflow, and expertise on the acquisition, interpretation and analysis of radiological image data. It will work with partners to provide data, advice and feedback on the design and rollout of the registry and its analytical and decision-support packages.
About McMaster University
MacMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., inspires critical thinking, personal growth, and a passion for learning while serving the social, cultural, and economic needs of the community and society.
The Medical Imaging Informatics Research Centre at McMaster University will assist with the project by providing expertise in data-repository architecture. McMaster University also brings valuable experience on data-format standards for radiological-diagnostic images. This group is will assist in the development of an initial data repository for the Dose Registry and Radiation Exposure Monitoring project.
