VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 25, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Zecotek Medical Systems Inc. (TSX-V:ZMS) (Frankfurt:W1I) today announced the Paul Scherrer Institute based in Switzerland has purchased an order of Zecotek's patented Lutetium Fine Silicate (LFS) scintillation crystals for trials in its next-generation Positron Emission Tomography (PET) medical imaging program. The Paul Scherrer Institute PET program is focused on advancing improvements in sensitivity, spatial resolution and image quality in PET scanners, based on the understanding that advances in PET are driven largely by progress in instrumentation, in particular the performance of scintillation materials, photo-detectors and read-out electronics. Higher resolution PET scanners would also widen PET's application in brain function analysis and diagnosis.
"We are delighted that the prestigious Paul Scherrer Institute is working with our LFS scintillation crystals in their program to develop a next generation PET detector module," said Dr. A.F. Zerrouk, Chairman, President, and CEO of Zecotek. "The Institute is well known and highly respected for its work in medical imaging and is representative of the broader market for our LFS scintillation crystals."
Zecotek's patented LFS scintillation material was developed as a high-performance, cost-effective replacement for the materials used in the present generation of PET machines and other medical and non-medical imaging applications. The LFS crystals also complement Zecotek's patented Micro-pixel Avalanche Photo Diodes (MAPD), designed to replace current use photo multiplier tube photo detectors. Both Zecotek's LFS and MAPD offer significant benefits to the diagnostic medical industry. The scintillation material, together with the photo-detector, typically constitutes 50 to 65% of the manufacturing cost of a PET scanner. Both the LFS and MAPD offer increased performance and lowered costs, improving both patient throughput and improved diagnostics in PET and PET-CT (Computed Tomography) applications. The combined use of Zecotek's LFS material and MAPD would also enable an integrated PET-MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine.
About Paul Scherrer Institute
The Paul Scherrer Institute is a multi-disciplinary research centre for natural sciences and technology based in Switzerland. In national and international collaboration with universities, other research institutes and industry, it is active in solid state physics, materials sciences, elementary particle physics, life sciences, nuclear and non-nuclear energy research, and energy-related ecology.
The Paul Scherrer Institute develops and operates complex research installations which call for especially high standards of know-how, experience and professionalism, and is one of the world's leading user laboratories for the national and international scientific community. Through its research, the Institute acquires new basic knowledge and actively pursues its application in industry.
About Zecotek
Zecotek Medical Systems (TSX-V:ZMS) (Frankfurt:W1I) is a photonics technology company developing high-performance crystals, photo detectors, medical lasers, optical imaging and 3D display technologies for commercial applications in the medical diagnostics and high-tech industry. Founded in 2003, the company has three distinct operating divisions: medical imaging, medical lasers and 3D display and labs located in Canada, Singapore and Russia. Zecotek commercializes its novel, patented and patent-pending bio-photonic technologies directly and through strategic alliances and joint ventures with multinational OEMs, distributors and other industry leaders. For more information, please visit www.zecotek.com.
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