InfraReDx's LipiScan™ System Featured at 2010 Symposium of Complex Coronary & Vascular Cases

BURLINGTON, Mass., June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- InfraReDx, Inc., an innovative medical device company focused on developing novel diagnostic imaging technologies to accurately identify and characterize diseased tissues, today announced that its LipiScan™ Coronary Imaging System will be featured at the 13th Annual Live Symposium of Complex Coronary & Vascular Cases ("the CCC Symposium") being held at The Mount Sinai Medical Center of New York, from June 16-19, 2010. The CCC Symposium is a medical course focused on the latest techniques and technologies pertinent to the field of interventional cardiovascular medicine.

Annapoorna S. Kini, M.D., MRCP, Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory & Intervention, and Director, Interventional Fellowship Program at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York is scheduled to conduct two live case demonstrations of the LipiScan coronary imaging system during the CCC Symposium. These live procedures are to be conducted at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, for viewing by meeting attendees on Thursday, June 17 and on Friday, June 18, as part of the Coronary Session of the CCC Symposium.

"As one of the more exciting new devices to be introduced to the catheterization lab, it is a pleasure for me to be speaking about my experience with the LipiScan near infrared coronary imaging system," stated Dr. Kini. "At Mount Sinai, we find the LipiScan system extremely useful in revealing the health of the vessel wall during stenting procedures and identifying the coronary plaques of greatest concern. Armed with a clear view of lipid core plaque burden, we are better prepared to prevent distal embolization and reduce peri-stenting complications."

In addition, Pedro Moreno, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Director, Interventional Research Cardiac Catheterization Lab at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, will discuss findings from the PROSPECT trial (sponsored by Abbott Laboratories), one of the most comprehensive studies to date to evaluate the role of vulnerable plaque in unexpected heart attacks and the natural progression of coronary artery disease. The outcomes of this trial point to the importance of new technologies such as the LipiScan coronary imaging system. This discussion is scheduled to take place during the Coronary Session on Friday, June 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

InfraReDx's currently marketed LipiScan system -- the only FDA cleared product to detect lipid core plaque (LCP) -- utilizes catheter-based near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to identify and assess the chemical composition of intracoronary plaques within artery walls that cannot be detected by commonly used diagnostic tests such as treadmill exams and coronary angiograms. The Company is also developing a version of the LipiScan system that incorporates intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) technology. The LipiScan IVUS system, combining both NIR spectroscopy and IVUS, is uniquely designed to be able to identify both the chemical composition and structure of vulnerable plaques in a single catheter, single pull back procedure. It is expected to become commercially available during 2010.  

Lipid-core containing plaque is suspected to be "vulnerable plaque" that can rupture and form dangerous blood clots, leading to coronary thrombosis. LCP is widely considered to be responsible for a significant number of stenting procedure complications, and is suspected to be the primary cause of acute coronary events, the leading cause of death in the developed world.

"We are very pleased that Dr. Kini, Dr. Moreno and their colleagues at The Mount Sinai Medical Center are successfully utilizing our LipiScan technology to further understand plaque composition in their randomized trial; YELLOW. We look forward to having them share their positive experiences with the attendees of the CCC symposium who wish to keep apprised of the most important new advances for managing complex coronary and vascular cases," stated James E. Muller, M.D., founder and Chief Executive Officer of InfraReDx. "We are dedicated to continuous innovation and building on the current capabilities of the LipiScan system for the benefit of interventional cardiologists and their patients."

About InfraReDx, Inc.

InfraReDx, Inc., headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a privately-funded medical device company founded in 1998 and focused on intravascular characterization of disease in the coronary arteries. InfraReDx is the maker of the LipiScan™ system, a novel near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy catheter that can detect the lipid core coronary plaques suspected to cause most heart attacks and known to complicate stenting procedures. For more information, visit www.infraredx.com.  

About the CCC Symposium

The Live Symposium of Complex Coronary & Vascular Cases will present concise and current important information that will update attendees on the latest techniques and technologies, and help clarify areas of diagnostic and therapeutic controversy. The primary focus of the course is to present a multidevice approach to revascularization of patients with complex coronary and cardiovascular disease. Physiological assessment via fractional flow reserve (FFR) guided angioplasty and a newer imaging technique, near infrared spectroscopy (LipiScan NIR), in addition to IVUS guidance during interventions will be highlighted. For more information, visit www.cccsymposium.org.

SOURCE InfraReDx, Inc.