NEWTON, Pa., Dec. 8, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mauna Kea Technologies, the global leader in endomicroscopy, is celebrating its 10th anniversary and a decade of innovation behind its flagship product, Cellvizio®, the world's smallest and most flexible microscope. Providing a microscopic view of internal tissues in real time during standard endoscopy procedures, the Cellvizio Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) system allows physicians to identify and remove diseased tissue with endoscopic tools on the spot, or, in more serious cases, send patients directly to surgery. Physicians also use Cellvizio to confirm that they have removed all pre-cancerous or cancerous tissue following polypectomies or other interventional endoscopy procedures.1
"In the last decade, Mauna Kea Technologies has grown from an innovative startup to the leader in one of the most exciting medical imaging fields. The Cellvizio system has changed the way we perform many endoscopy procedures, in particular how we diagnose and treat gastrointestinal diseases," explained David L Carr-Locke, MD, FRCP, FASGE, Chief of the Division of Digestive Diseases at Beth Israel Medical Center and Director of GI services at Continuum Cancer Centers of NY. "The dedication of the company to evidence-based medicine through research and education has helped foster confidence in the use of pCLE, which will significantly impact our healthcare environment in the years to come."
Physicians and thought leaders at almost one hundred top medical institutions around the world have completed over 5,000 Cellvizio procedures and have published more than 35 peer-reviewed papers on the technology in major medical journals.
In 2009, the company launched the International Conference of Cellvizio® Users (ICCU), an annual event during which pCLE experts share their knowledge and findings and develop new indications and guidelines for this procedure. Over 40 of the world's top gastroenterologists gathered for the inaugural ICCU in Miami and over 70 were present in Paris last year. For this next year's ICCU meeting in Nice, France, the company expects the trend to continue.
"This is an important milestone and I wish to thank all of the physicians and specialists in the gastroenterology community for demonstrating the benefits of the technology and having integrated Cellvizio into their practices," said Sacha Loiseau, president, CEO and founder of Mauna Kea Technologies. "Of course, none of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of the Mauna Kea Technologies teams in Europe, the U.S.A and Asia. We are building the future of pCLE and endomicroscopy together."
1. Konda 2010 on BE and Meining 2008 on ERCP
Timeline of Key Milestones
2000
Founding of Mauna Kea Technologies
2005
Cellvizio cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with two 510k approvals for use in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs and obtains CE mark in Europe
2008
Cellvizio receives Wall Street Journal 2008 Technology Innovation Award
2009
More than 35 peer-reviewed papers published on the technology in major medical journals
2010
Cellvizio® is installed in over 180 hospitals and research centers world wide
About Mauna Kea Technologies
Mauna Kea Technologies is a global medical imaging company and a leader in endomicroscopic innovation. The company researches, develops and markets innovative tools to visualize and detect abnormalities in the gastro-intestinal and pulmonary tracts. Its flagship product, Cellvizio®, a probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) system, provides physicians and researchers high resolution cellular views of tissue inside the body. Large, international, multi-center clinical trials have demonstrated Cellvizio's ability to help physicians more accurately detect early forms of disease and make treatment decisions immediately. Designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs within a hospital, Cellvizio can be used with almost any endoscope. Cellvizio has 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European CE-Mark for use in the GI and pulmonary tracts.
For more information about Mauna Kea Technologies visit www.maunakeatech.com.
CONTACT: Mauna Kea Technologies Alexander Bryson, Marketing Communications and Brand Manager +33 (0) 1 70 08 09 92 alexander@maunakeatech.com Lazar Partners Ltd. Erich Sandoval +1 917 497 2867 esandoval@lazarpartners.com