Naviscan Further Strengthens its Board of Directors With the Addition of Dr. Andre Cheng

SAN DIEGO, July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Naviscan, Inc., the worldwide leader in 3D Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), announced today that Andre Cheng MD, PhD has joined the Naviscan Board of Directors.

Dr. Cheng has extensive clinical and business experience related to reimbursement in the medical device industry.  He served as the Vice President of Medical Affairs and Reimbursement at Acclarent, Inc.  After acquisition by Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, he served as Worldwide Vice President of Health Economics and Reimbursement at Ethicon.  Prior to this he was a Managing Partner at The Advisory Board Company.  Dr. Cheng is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and holds a PhD in Clinical Investigation and Healthcare Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

"Dr. Cheng is an acknowledged physician and scientist with extensive, relevant expertise and a track record of extraordinary success in securing reimbursement for new technologies," stated Paul Mirabella, Chairman and CEO.  "As we expand our global reach and market penetration into new areas of the patient care cycle, adding Andre to our Board will further strengthen Naviscan's already solid reimbursement and clinical impact."

Naviscan manufactures the only commercially-available organ-specific, high resolution PET scanner, the breast applications for which are Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) and PEM-guided biopsy.  The scanner uses PET technology to produce tomographic images that allow physicians to visualize and biopsy breast tumors as small as 1.3 mm.  In recently published data, PEM has been found to be significantly more precise at identifying benign and cancerous lesions—what scientists call "specificity"—and therefore has the potential to reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies.  This finding is a welcomed outcome for women and physicians looking for ways to reduce the patient trauma and cost associated with unnecessary procedures.  

About Naviscan, Inc.

Naviscan, founded in 1995, develops and markets compact, high-resolution PET scanners intended to provide organ-specific molecular imaging and guide radiological and surgical procedures. The Naviscan PET scanner is currently installed and available in breast and imaging centers throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. The Company is headquartered in San Diego, California and is the first to obtain FDA-clearance for a high-resolution PET scanner designed to image small body parts and for breast biopsy image guidance. For more information, call 1.858.587.3641 or visit www.naviscan.com

SOURCE Naviscan, Inc.