Gamma Medica this week unveiled a cardiac gating sub-system for its X-SPECT preclinical imaging system.

X-SPECT, Gamma Medica's second-generation MicroSPECT system, is used by medical researchers and drug companies that use in-vivo imaging techniques and molecular markers to speed up studies of disease progression and therapy.

The company is currently rolling out the technology at the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine. "Our primary research is aimed at developing newer strategies for identifying the rate of ventricular remodeling toward the development of heart failure," said Jagat Narula, MD, chief of cardiology and associate dean. "Identification of the likelihood of remodeling will allow us to monitor intervention strategies. The presence of microCT allows us to further combine morphologic and functional aspects of imaging especially when the functional and receptor signaling is not too striking."

Gamma Medica will be showcasing the new device at the 2004 Society of Nuclear Medicine Show from June 19 - 23, in Philadelphia.