CardiArc Inc. has established a research and testing program in which healthcare research institutions will be loaned CardiArc SPECT system devices. The company is seeking independent testing, evaluations in clinical settings and publication of results regarding the design and performance of its cardiovascular camera. The first facility to receive a unit will be Cleveland Clinic in July.

"We're very proud that one of the world's premier healthcare institutions, especially noted for its excellence in cardiovascular and nuclear medicine, has agreed to serve as our first clinical evaluation site for our production model," said Jack Juni, MD, CardiArc's founder and chief technology officer. "Clinical testing and research will be invaluable in ensuring the CardiArc SPECT system meets the highest possible standards in cardiac diagnostic imaging and patient care."
 
Evaluation will consist of at least 100 scans performed on individuals using both the CardiArc SPECT system and again on a clinical SPECT machine currently in use at Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, a database will be created of CardiArc scans of normal hearts at rest and under stress, and also scans of diseased hearts. Manuel Cerqueira, M.D., the Clinic's chairman of the department of nuclear medicine and past president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology will serve as principal investigator.

The CardiArc SPECT system is being displayed June 2-5 at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 54th annual meeting in Washington, D.C.