Aspect Imaging Launches M2™ 3D MR-based Histology System for Toxicology

Novel system for high-throughput 3D digital imaging of pre-clinical phenotypes launched at 52^nd Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting 2013

SAN ANTONIO, TX, March 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Aspect Imaging, the world leading developer of high-performance compact magnets, today announced the launch of its M2™ 3D MR-based histology system for in vivo and ex vivo toxicological imaging. The announcement was made at the 52^nd Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, March 10 -14, 2013, the largest annual meeting of toxicology and pathology professionals.

The M2 3D MR-based histology system is a compact, high-performance MRI instrument for high-throughput in vivo and ex vivo imaging of pre-clinical samples. The M2 provides all of the benefits of MRI including high-resolution 3D images of anatomical morphology and quantitative information of disease progression and regression. The M2's novel design is based on an innovative permanent magnet design meaning that the magnet does not require costly cryogens to cool and maintain its magnetic field. It is also "self-shielded" and consequently there is virtually no external fringe magnetic field. As a result, the compact MRI can be placed in most locations in a research lab and it does not require any special infrastructure. Aspect Imaging also provides a complete line of PhenoQuant™ contrast agents which further enhances the MR-based imaging of fixed samples and in vivo models.

"Conventional MRI is a gold standard for 3D pre-clinical imaging but its inherent cost and complexity have made it inaccessible to the toxicologist", says Uri Rapoport, Aspect Imaging's Founder and CEO. "With the launch of our M2 3D MR-based histology system, research labs can now leverage the power of 3D morphological imaging to compliment and guide their traditional histology and do so with a system that is affordable, easy to install, easy to operate by a technician with no imaging experience and with the benefit of high-resolution digital images."

A detailed study of the M2™ 3D MR-based Histology System - "3D MRI-Based Histology Using Compact, High-Resolution MRI" - is being presented as a late-breaking poster at the SOT Scientific Sessions. "3D MR-based histology of fixed tissue specimens is gaining recognition as a technique to provide complimentary information to conventional histological techniques, as numerous digital slices from any plane of the intact sample can be acquired  in 3D, quantified and then followed-up by conventional histology", says Dr. Yael Schiffenbauer, the presenter and scientific lead on the research study. "This study investigated the capabilities of this new compact 3D MR-based histology platform as a complementary method in toxicology studies. The study validated mouse models of acute kidney injury (AKI) as quantified by in vivo MRI, ex vivo MR-based histology, and conventional Histology and immunostaining. The high correlation between conventional histology and this novel platform shows the strong promise for using 3D MR-based histology to guide conventional histology in research and drug development toxicological settings".

The M2™ 3D MR-based histology system is being demonstrated at ToxExpo 2013, the commercial exhibition of the SOT Annual Meeting, in Aspect Imaging's booth #1158.  The scientific poster, "3D MRI-Based Histology Using Compact, High-Resolution MRI", Poster #2634, Board #330, will be presented in the SOT Scientific Sessions from 8:30 am - noon on Thursday, March 14, 2013 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

About Aspect Imaging:

Aspect Imaging (www.aspectimaging.com) is the world's leader in the design and development of high-performance compact MRI imaging systems for pre-clinical, clinical and advanced industrial applications. In the clinical market, Aspect Imaging has multiple clinical programs underway including its system to provide highly efficient just-in-place compact MRI for imaging of the wrist. The system allows clinicians to harness the power and insights of MRI but without the cost, complexity and technical burden of traditional MRI systems. In the pre-clinical research market, Aspect supplies its M2™ magnet, gradients and handling systems to Bruker for use in its leading ICON™ compact MRI platform.  Due to its high-performance M2 permanent magnet and suite of related products, the ICON enables academic researchers and pharmaceutical companies to quantify their research models quickly and reliably. Pre-clinically, Aspect's M2 system is also used for providing 3D MR-based Histology to compliment and direct pathology and histology-based analysis as well as providing the M2 platform to Mediso Medical Systems for use in its nanoScan® integrated PET/MRI and SPECT/MRI systems. Aspect Imaging's novel permanent magnets are also used in advanced industrial applications including rheology where its MicroFlow™ platform can operate inline on large-scale production lines for food processing, consumer products, biofuels and other applications providing real-time, non-invasive and quantitative read-outs for process and quality control.

SOURCE Aspect Imaging