Platinum interview with Enzo Carrone of Paramed Medical Systems
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 | 
| Company News - Paramed Medical Systems |
Paramed Medical Systems uses innovative technology to advance patient-friendly MRI
Q: What products, updates or innovations are you announcing or launching at RSNA?
We are basically coming out with two new products, the first one is an updated and improved version of what we presented last year -- our MRI with the open architecture which was called MROpen (MRO) -- now that was already a good success and it actually showed that our idea of building a new concept of MRI scanner would be based on an open architecture which was our first aim when we started designing this scanner. And at the same time which could prove the new technology which we were implementing, the new superconducting wire, called MgB2 (magnesium diboride) so the scope was two fold. On the one side to prove this new wire which was discovered in 2001 and which we are the only company in the world using for MRI applications should actually be reliable and good enough for medical applications which was definitely the case because it actually worked as a magnet but the magnet is based on very new technology with the new super conducting wire. And then of course the scanner reflects this with the innovation introduced with the magnet because it's quite open -- it's not 'C' shaped it's 'U' shaped.
ParaMed's MROpen scanner
Last year was the first time we presented it and this year we are coming up with an updated design so it's even more user friendly because it has a larger field of view and the magnetic field as well has been taken to 0.7 Tesla instead of 0.5 like last year. And just like the first scanner there is no need for cryogenic fluid, liquid helium or liquid nitrogen, because the refrigeration system is a closed one and is based on -- basically you don't need any more cryogenic fluid. It's very simple to operate, it's possible to be portable unit and very cheap to operate as you don't need to refill it with liquid helium. Also from the aesthetic point of view I would say that it's very stylish and appealing to the eye so it's more easily accepted by the patient.
It's completely new technology which opens a new set of applications so you can accomplish the weight bearing exams that you cannot accomplish with closed architecture. And of course using the new material for the magnet you get rid of all the complications with the cryogenic refrigeration, such as the necessity to have a cryogenic plant installed at the hospital. Any cryogenic facilities you need to operate any standard MRI this time you can do without them. It's like having a fridge with a closed loop so once you've put the refrigerator liquid inside and then you close it and you don't need to replace it. It's very practical and power consumption is low, maintenance cost is low, it's really like a plug and play concept -- once you plug it in the wall you can forget about it -- all the safety is much simpler. As you don't need the vessel to be under pressure so all the international regulations you need to comply with are skipped.
So that's the deal for the first scanner, which is the most important thing we are displaying this year; and the second one which is called MRJ Extended. MRJ Extended is intended to make many other applications available, especially lumbar-spine and cervical-spine, thus expanding the already excellent capabilities of MRJ of which 50 units are already installed worldwide. This is accomplished through an extended software which includes new protocols, new data acquisition techniques (multi-angle oblique, pre-saturation and an extended set of coils (both in small and large size). As an added premium, the Field Of View is up to 26 cm. MRJ Extended is commercialized as a new product, but the set of software and coils can be integrated as an upgrade of MRJ itself.
I should also mention that we have a partnership with Aurora Imaging Technology, (http://www.auroramri.com/) the company which brought to the market the world's only MRI scanner dedicated to breast exams, and for which we are distributors in some regions of Europe.
Aurora's breast imaging MRI scanner
Q: What are the benefits of using your product?
MROpen 0.6 T has been engineered in a way such that the power consumption is kept very low (along with the overall weight), making the installation easier and the scanner suitable for mobile use, if needed. The larger room made available for patient means that the only limit is the creativity of the clinician; in fact, almost every position of the patient is allowed, and never the exam under load has been easier. Wide lumbar spine applications and weight bearing exams are finally very easy to perform. The open structure will eliminate any feeling of claustrophobia in the patient, who will be able to see, for instance, a movie on the ceiling. On top of that, the scanner noise level is practically negligible with respect to a closed-structure, standard MRI system.
At present, this is the world's only 'open-sky' superconducting MRI scanner. The open architecture will be of great advantage to the interventional MRI as well, and will also ease the life of pediatricians who will be able to perform exams on kid more easily: in fact, parents can be at hands' reach, preventing any anxiety in the young girl/boy.
Therefore, MROpen will allow for a general less patient refusal incrementing, at the same time, the general comfort, giving you the most comfortable approach to the exam. As for MRJ Extended, it will help achieve the highest quality/cost ratio for the in-office MRI. Being capable to extend the exams to the musculoskeletal area (L-Spine) is of strategic importance and of great impact on the financial performances of the scanner.
Q: What are you hoping to achieve from this year's RSNA?
Paramed went on the market last year with an innovative product, MRO, which was meant to be a breakthrough in MRI; this year, we will demonstrate that MrOpen is not a prototype, but a commercial product, already installed on clinical site and of great potential. Furthermore, the structure of Paramed as a company itself is getting strong benefit by being part of Malacalza Group, a corporation which deals with high technology (from superconducting wires to magnets).
This year the Paramed booth will represent the whole industrial chain which leads from an innovative superconducting cable to a new concept MRI system with three companies working together: Columbus Superconductors (MgB2 wire manufacturer), ASG Superconductors (magnets designer and manufacturer) and Paramed itself are acting as a whole to improve and commercialize innovative MRI systems. With respect to last year, we intend to strengthen our image as 'innovation in MRI' and to show that we are striving to be always one step ahead.
Last year we were presenting the first MROpen scanner -- it was a product that had just exited the prototype phase and was ready to be commercialized. Now we can count already on one installation on our pilot clinical site and therefore we are even more confident that this scanner has a great potential. So I would say the R & D is somehow over and this is a mature product which is now ready to be commercialized worldwide. We have been working strongly on patents we've been working on championing our brand and this is one of the main goals we intend to achieve this year -- somehow delivering the message that we aren't any more a small company that had a dream of a new concept of a MRI scanner but a company that has come out with a product that proved to be commercially successful and also scientifically; so it actually let the patient take the exam in a very comfortable manner and the practitioner to do the something he/she could not do before.
So what I'd like to say is that with MROpen only the ability of the practitioner is the limit because you can position the patient inside in whatever position you might envisage, vertically or sitting down or you can rotate the patient, and thanks to the larger field of view, to take the images. And this integrates with our vision which is being innovators in MRI so we can strive to be one step ahead and that's why we've done a great deal of R & D. Being at RSNA with our products means it's not just R & D its also a commercial brand.
Q: Where does Paramed's R & D strength come from?
We started with a very strong background in R & D and strong expertise in engineering -- as for the designing, building and commercializing both magnets for the MRIs. We started with a permanent system which is MRJ and with a good set of software customized to the MRJ.
Paramed's MRJ scanner
Now we came up with a new machine which is based on super-conducting technologies so we are going to the future not sticking to the permanent magnets. And this new technology is not just building a new MRI but building something which is different, and which is quite unique in the market. As I mentioned previously his can now be accomplished because we are part of an industrial group which is called Malacalza Group; we are working closely with two other companies ASG Superconductors and Columbus Superconductors.
These two companies are part of an industrial chain where Paramed is the front man and we are building up on this partnership in that Columbus Superconductors is the company which managed to manufacture the superconducting wire based on this new technology of MGB2. And ASG Superconductors is the company who designs and manufactures the magnet of the MROpen scanner. Ultimately Paramed is responsible for dressing the magnet and the data acquisition and the electronics in order to make a scanner out of the magnets. So these three companies work together mean and that's one of the reasons why we think that not only the MRI scanner will be successful but it's also a mature product because it capitalizes on the experience of the three companies altogether.
What you will also find if you go to our booth is not just our company but the whole industrial chain which for us is a very important concept because since we are part of an industrial group we are somehow also growing on the strengths which is given us by belonging, so it adds up to our financial capabilities and marketing capabilities.
Q: There appear to be two themes in Paramed's strategic vision -- the journey from software development to MROpen scanners, and complementing this the alliance with Columbus and ASG?
Correct. We are building everything in-house, we are not just buying the magnet from somewhere else, we are doing here everything from the very beginning up to the design of the magnet and then to the data acquisition and the electronics -- so it's all done in the same factory plant which provides a unified vision of the product.
Q: What key messages do you have for RSNA attendees?
Relax. Paramed MRI takes all the discomfort out of the exam. We concentrate on patient comfort (which translates, ultimately, into a general improvement of the exam for the physician). In order to achieve that, we have envisaged different MRI systems, with new architectures and new technologies. We proved that this match of high care for the patient and high innovation works wonders for both the patients and the practitioners.
This vision is a mature one, our basis are solid: we are at a stage where we have exited the first R&D and we're heading towards being a major player in the market. This is also demonstrated by the Frost & Sullivan recognizing Paramed Medical Systems with the 2007 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Entrepreneurial Company "for its pioneering spirit in exploring new markets and developing products to capitalize on the opportunities they present. Paramed's MR Open system is a true reflection of its outstanding entrepreneurial abilities, showcasing a novel and revolutionary design that has taken the traditional MRI system to the next level."
Q: How do you see the year ahead in clinical and business terms?
Since we started the idea of being innovators in MRI we will keep on pursuing this very concept in this sense not only will we try to get a larger user space but we will also keep on with our R & D efforts in the future. We are also confident the MROpen scanner will open a wide range of possibilities because we are pretty sure that once the medical doctors start to explore it with the new exams they can perform with this machine I'm sure many more applications will come up. Also we were thinking of the pediatric applications as well as interventional MRI because the field of view is right now large enough to suggest intervention applications.
On the market side we are working hard to expand in international markets with a brand new sales office in the US and with a new distributor in China. So what awaits us is on the one side being even stronger outside Italy and on the other side not forgetting we want to be innovators -- building scanners which are comfortable for our patients is our obsession -- it is what's been driving us from the very beginning. We started with a 'C' shaped scanner and led to the 'U' shaped scanner which is more open. So you can watch DVDs while you are in the scanner and forget you are having an exam, it's very patiently-friendly.
Company profile
Paramed Medical Systems Ltd. (Genoa-I), a company of the Malacalza Group, is a manufacturer of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems and a provider of Digital Imaging solutions. While MRJ is a scanner of proven characteristics, MR-Open is the world's first open (U-shaped) MRI system based on a cryogenic-free superconductor, with a field of 0.5 T or 0.6 T. MR-Open is the outcome of a partnership with two companies belonging to the same corporation: ASG Superconductors, leader in design and manufacturing of magnets for High Energy Physics, and Columbus Superconductors, manufacturer of the new superconducting wire (at the 'heart' of MR-Open itself).
Contact details
Name: Paramed Medical Systems
Interviewee: Enzo Carrone
E-mail:
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Telephone: +39-010-6489-112
Website: Click here for the Paramed Medical Systems website.
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