Polarean Imaging secures key Chinese patent for Xenon MRI lung visualisation
( ) , a commercial-stage MRI technology company, announced the issue of Chinese patent ZL201980047729.5, covering the use of Polarean's Xenon MRI platform XENOVIEW to visualise global and regional pulmonary gas exchange and microvascular blood flow in real time. Polarean's XENOVIEW uses hyperpolarised Xenon Xe-129 to illuminate hidden lung diseases non-invasively.
The patent strategically positions Polarean for potential entry into the Chinese market, which faces one of the world's highest burdens of lung disease due to factors like air pollution, smoking, and an aging population - accounting for nearly a quarter of global chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases and 40% of new lung cancer cases.
Christopher von Jako, CEO of Polarean, commenting: "This new patent represents another step forward in our mission to optimise lung health globally. China faces an immense burden of respiratory diseases, and the addition of this patent will enable us, when the time is right, to bring our innovative, non-invasive Xenon MRI platform to a country that urgently needs it. With our cutting-edge Xenon MRI platform, we aim to deliver novel diagnostic tools that can improve outcomes for millions of patients with lung disease."
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A significant milestone for Polarean and its XENOVIEW platform, expanding the company's patented IP, and potential reach and utility of its Xenon MRI inhaled agent into the Chinese market.
's pulmonary imaging platform promises to revolutionise medical imaging with the ability to illuminate hidden diseases non-invasively, including those within the pulmonary vasculature. This can enable early intervention and significantly improve patient outcomes.China has one of the highest burdens of lung disease globally, driven by factors such as air pollution, smoking, and an aging population. This is further exacerbated by late diagnoses and inadequate screening. Polarean's newly patented gas exchange imaging can help expand the use of Xenon MRI in China to visualise lung function and vascular health, potentially enabling earlier detection and better monitoring of disease progression.
Chronic conditions like interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary hypertension are major challenges in China, particularly when symptoms such as unexplained dyspnea (breathlessness) cannot be clearly diagnosed using conventional tools. By illuminating hidden aspects of lung function, Polarean's Xenon MRI platform can offer clinicians new insights into complex lung diseases.
In the US, current customers of Polarean's Xenon MRI platform include the University of Kansas Medical Center, the world-renowned Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the University of Virginia Health System, University of Missouri Health Care, and University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. The technology drove materially higher sales in 1H24, set to accelerate through a recently announced partnership with SimonMed.
If takeup continues its current trajectory, by end of 2025
's total installed clinical base should be 12-14 systems with scans performing 5-6 scans/week and revenues of US$5-6m. Profitability would then be expected by 2027.Follow News & Updates from Polarean Imaging:
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