The Clinical Imaging Research Centre (CIRC) will undertake, promote and fund research and development in the field of advanced bio-imaging technologies, including in vivo imaging for translational and experimental medicine. It will eventually be located at Biopolis, an international research hub dedicated to biomedical research and development activities in Singapore.
"Siemens is honored to be a technology partner in this long-term collaboration," said Mr. Hans-Dieter Bott, Managing Director of Siemens Singapore. "The government's commitment and support of this public-private sector initiative to build an international center of excellence in biotechnology makes Singapore a great investment location for Siemens."
As the sole technology partner, Siemens will equip the CIRC with the latest molecular and medical imaging technologies - in modalities such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) - for the development of personalized medicine.
Siemens will also make available new and novel technologies for testing. The CIRC will be one of the first sites in the world to test the MR-PET imaging technology being developed by Siemens.
"We are particularly excited that the MR-PET system will be evaluated at the CIRC," said Mr. Walter Maerzendorfer, President, Siemens Medical Solutions, MRI division. "The combination of new PET radiopharmaceuticals and MR imaging techniques provides clinical applications that could contribute to new methods of managing cancer and other diseases."
Siemens Commitment to Biomedical Research in Singapore
The facility will also develop protocols for translational research using clinical 3-Tesla MRI technology in areas such as stem cell research with Siemens' 3T MAGNETOM Trio with Tim® (Total imaging matrix) technology.
As part of the 10-year collaboration deal, Siemens also announced an annual "Siemens Translational Research Foundation Grant" of US$2.5 million over 5 years in support of Translational Medical Research projects.
"We are committed to transferring highly qualified personnel to Singapore's radio-biomarker discovery program," said Mr. Michael Reitermann, President of Siemens Medical Solutions, Molecular Imaging division. "This is an important step towards Siemens' vision to expand and develop new technologies to help ensure affordable personalized medicine is within reach of a wider population."
As the world's first full service diagnostic company, Siemens offers a broad range of leading-edge clinical and pre-clinical molecular imaging technologies that facilitate the drug development process by empowering researchers to identify specific biological processes, monitor efficacy of compounds, and measure the effects of disease progression over time. As more disease-specific biomarkers are discovered and developed, new and more effective drugs can be made available to the markets - and patients - sooner.
About Siemens Medical Solutions
Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Recent acquisitions in the area of in-vitro diagnostics - such as Diagnostic Products Corporation and Bayer Diagnostics - mark a significant milestone for Siemens as it becomes the first full service diagnostics company. Employing more than 41,000 people worldwide and operating in over 130 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 8.23 billion EUR, orders of 9.33 billion EUR and group profit of 1.06 billion EUR for fiscal 2006 (Sept. 30). Further information can be found by visiting www.siemens.com/medical.
Disclaimer
Any statements in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ from the forward-looking statements. Siemens undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.