Monday, November 1, 2004

Med Tech

MGH researchers recognized for new imaging technology

By Dyke Hendrickson

The term "speed to market" is a mantra that some tech companies invoke to explain their rush to patent, produce and sell their products.

Two life scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital are close to commercializing their innovative imaging technology, but they are holding off until their product is fully ready.

They are in no hurry to sell to a medical device company, though several have shown interest.

"We talk with corporate representatives all the time, but we are making no commercial decisions now," said Brett Bouma, who along with Gary Tearney runs a promising research lab under the auspices of MGH.

"A patent is not enough. We think that the value of the product will increase as we provide proof of principle and record of successful collaboration. We are not in a hurry."

Bouma and Tearney were recently honored by the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT) for their work in optical coherence tomography (OCT). Tomography is a technique for making detailed X-rays of a section of a body as if a razor-sharp slice was taken right through the section. OCT offers an imaging method for understanding the underlying causes of sudden and unexpected heart attacks, industry analysts say.

CIMIT gave them the Edward M. Kennedy Award for HealthCare Innovation to recognize their OCT for endoscopic imaging.

Bouma and Tearney are associate professors at Harvard Medical School.

Their lab, which has 30 associates, is also using OCT for the minimally invasive detection of cancers in the stomach.

Peter Slavin, president of MGH and a member of CIMIT, said at the awards ceremony, "This year's winners are the epitome of what we need to be visionary, take risks and yet create technologies that are need to change the course of care for our patients - effectively, efficiently and safely."

The two scientists, who have worked together for a decade, appear to have developed an effective combination.

Bouma, a native of Chicago with a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, has a sound knowledge of physics and laser development.

Tearney, who grew up in Northern California before earning an M.D. and Ph.D. from Harvard, is knowledgeable about cardiology and gastronomy.

"We have different strengths, but we work together on everything," Tearney said.

They are on the cutting edge of optical diagnostic techniques, and their non-invasive endoscope - an instrument for examining the interior of a bodily canal or organ - has earned widespread attention.

Cardiovascular care is one of the most profitable care centers in a medical center. And it represents one of the most widespread serious illnesses in the United States.

Because they head a promising team in a well-reimbursed health-care space, the team raised more than $10 million.

Officials say the National Institutes of Health has provided close to $8 million, and other funds have come from CIMIT, the National Science Foundation and the Whitaker Foundation.

Though they decline to name the corporations that have shown an interest in commercializing their research, they do predict that their work will eventually reach the marketplace.

"We're fortunate to be able to follow two avenues at once," Bouma said. "We are working to provide new knowledge about the treatment of disease, which will result in better medical care.

"We also are pursuing the better practice of medicine through commercialization. We're not rushing to market but I believe we eventually will be in the marketplace, possibly in 2007."