GE looks into heart
scanning technology.

GE partners with Israeli startup for CT heart scanner technology

August 20, 2010
by Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor
GE Healthcare said Wednesday it's working with Israeli startup Arineta Ltd. to create CT scanner technology focused on heart disease.

"GE is interested in collaborating with Arineta because we believe their expertise in cardiovascular imaging technology complements the GE Healthcare market-leading position in CT imaging," GE spokesman Arvind Gopalratnam told DOTmed News by email. "The company is committed to developing low-dose technologies to further improve cardiac imaging on CT machines and this partnership falls directly in line with that strategy."

GE's health care branch, headquartered in Chalfont St. Giles, UK, wouldn't disclose the terms of the partnership and declined to specify what technology the deal involved.

However, on its website, Caesarea-based Arineta said it has developed "a proprietary, novel design CT scanner that is based on a new architecture and optimized for cardiovascular imaging."

The four-year-old company said its scanner is able to image a heart quickly, within the span of a single heart beat, to create images free of blur and motion artifacts. It is also smaller and lower cost as its eschews features needed for whole-body scans, the company said.

GE has been busy with partnership announcements. Earlier this month it struck a deal with Intel to open a new health care company aimed at helping seniors and those with chronic illnesses lead independent lives. The electronics giant is also in talks with Russia's state-owned technology company to create high-tech medical equipment in Russia.