Seno Medical Instruments hostedits first annual scientific receptionfor its Scientific AdvisoryCommittee and a select groupof San Antonio physicians. Thereception included presentationsby Dr. Alexander Oraevsky, thefather of the science of medicalopto–acoustics; a renowned NIHprincipal investigator and Dr.Marc Feldman, a professor ofmedicine at UTHSC and the cofounderof CardioSpectra. Theevent intended to bring togetherSeno’s medical thought leadersand San Antonio physicians andscientists to explore and interactwith opto–acoustic technology,a cutting edge technology, tolend to their clinical practiceexperience needs.
“Today’s technology is simplyoutdated. Modern technologycomponents are now allowingthe next generation of healthcaretools to be developed whichwill reveal the next level ofunderstanding and treatmentfor human ailments,” says Dr.Tom Budinger, a member ofSeno’s Scientific AdvisoryCommittee. Seno’s opto–acoustictechnology is the first newfunctional imaging modality indecades. since PET and MRIwere invented. “The dialogueand excitement among theresearchers and scientistscombined with drive andpassion of Seno’s management istruly amazing,” said Dr. ArturoBonilla, founder of the Microtia–Congenital Ear DeformityInstitute.
Dr. Bill Keane, chief medicalofficer for Seno Medical,formerly global head of Merck& Company’s R & D andClinical Affairs elaborated onthe current risks associatedwith existing functionalimaging tools, such as the useof contrast agents with MRI.“Using light and sound are idealways of obtaining the criticalinformation a physician needswithout causing complicationsor future conditions that needadditional treatments. It is a bigbreakthrough for patients andphysicians alike,” says Keane. “Forexample, oncologists currentlyhave a code available that wouldallow them to image cancerpatients daily to determinethe efficacy of drug treatment,but the available tools of PETand MRI cannot be frequentlyadministered due to harm topatients. The opto–acousticdevice can be used daily inmonitoring of treatment sincethere are no harmful side effectsto patients.”
“Although the initial target ofour technology is breast cancer,it is one of a dozen potentialcancer applications and there aremany more areas where thesetechniques will be able to bringa sophisticated level of imaging,diagnosis and monitoring oftreatment in the future,” says Dr.Oraevsky. “These discussions andcollaborative efforts are crucialin expanding the awarenessand understanding of thesenew technologies. As we bringthese scientific capabilities tomarket there are more and moreideas to consider from a varietyof perspectives. The thoughtsand insight of such capable andknowledgeable physicians areinvaluable to our communityand patients.” The presentationsand discussions included SenoMedical’s executive managementand technical team and othermembers of the ScientificAdvisory Committee includingDr. Bob Kramer, foundingmember of the Susan G. KomenFoundation Advisory Boardand the head of Seno’s ScientificAdvisory Committee as well asDr. Les Crawford, former head ofthe FDA.
