Would you like a sneak peek into the future of disease treatment?

Have you ever wondered how imaging technologies
might evolve in the next 5 to 10 years?

What about the project to map the human genome -
have you wondered how that might be applied to GE Healthcare?

If you answered, Yes to any of these questions, then look no further for the answer than to the work being done today by the Molecular Imaging and Genomics team here at GE Healthcare.

Here's an example of how Molecular Imaging and Genomics could be put into clinical practice...

Imagine you are 30 years old. You take a blood test and receive a DVD that contains your genetic make up. Using a web service, you find that you are predisposed to an aggressive form of Breast Cancer. Your primary care physician refers you for an MR exam that uses a new contrast agent. It shows signs that new vasculature is being created in the left breast, characteristic of early tumor growth.

A follow up PET exam using a new-targeted tracer confirms that a growth factor protein is over-expressed, fueling aggressive tumor growth. A therapeutic drug targeted at that protein is administered to control its expression. Monitoring PET exams confirm that its expression is under control, inhibiting tumor growth. And a follow up MR exam also confirms that vasculature creation has returned to normal.

This was just one example of how Genomics and Molecular Imaging could benefit future health care. GE Healthcare is creating that future!

Learning The Basics
Sequencing the entire genetic material in humans will no doubt have a seismic effect on medicine in the future. But what kind of medical breakthroughs can we expect to come out of the research, and who will most benefit?
Before we go any further, we'd like to give you vital background information about Molecular Imaging and Genomics.


What Is Molecular Imaging?
Molecular Imaging is broadly defined as the characterization and measurement of biological processes in living animals at the cellular and molecular level.

Much about your life, your proclivity for mental or physical ailments, the color of your eyes, is determined inside your chromosomes. A human chromosome is extremely small. Yet it contains a string of DNA up to 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) long -- perhaps as long as your little finger!


What Is A Genome?
A genome is all the DNA in an organism, including its genes. Genes carry information for making all the proteins required by all organisms. These proteins determine, among other things, how the organism looks, how well its body metabolizes food or fights infection, and sometimes even how it behaves.

Imagine the genome as the United States. Each chromosome is a different state. As many as 30,000 genes are the cities and towns.

Although sequencing the human genome will not lead to immediate results, it is an accomplishment that brings a lot of hope.

"It's a book without chapters, paragraphs, punctuation and space; but without the sequence of letters, we wouldn't have anywhere to start," says Eric Stahre, General Manager and Technology Leader, Molecular Imaging and Genomics. "Constructing the story and understanding its plots and subplots will fuel medical research for the next 20 or 30 years in a huge way."

All About GE Healthcare's Molecular Imaging and Genomics Business

Today, doctors diagnose disease by viewing anatomical images, which show body structure, like an MR image of a tumor, or functional images that show tumor metabolism and function, like PET images of the body or brain.

GE is challenged to help doctors see a disease before it's traditionally seen today, better diagnose, prescribe and track therapy. Genomics is now coming to the point of indicating a predisposition for disease. Genomics is also identifying markers of aggressive disease.

"This will all result in significantly improved patient healthcare and well-being since we'll be able to help monitor early disease, help personalize treatment and confirm treatment efficacy" said Eric Stahre, General Manager and Technology Leader, Molecular Imaging and Genomics.

GE Healthcare is developing tomorrow's technology platforms for Molecular Imaging and Molecular medicine. GE brings value with our PET/CT, high-field MR and MR Spectroscopy, image analysis technologies.

At GE's Corporate R&D Center, we also will advance the core technologies that form our future platforms. For example, image analysis technology is required to glean critical parameters from many more images to detect changes in disease progression and treatment response.

Bridging the Gap Between Genetics and Imaging Information

GE Healthcare's Molecular Imaging and Genomics team is working to bridge the gap between genetics and imaging information. GE's imaging expertise combined with the research of luminaries, pharmaceuticals and biotechs will be used to enhance our knowledge and meet this challenge, ultimately improving early disease detection, prevention and efficacy of therapy in this decade.

Much molecular imaging research funding is focused on cancer. GE is supporting oncology research, but won't stop there. We see opportunities in cardio-vascular disease and well as neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's.

"This is an exciting time as we develop the future of diagnostic imaging! Today's reactive disease management will be substituted with pro-active disease management in the not too distant future" said Beth Klein, VP and Global General Manager Functional and Molecular Imaging (NM/PET). GE Healthcare hopes to lead the way into this exciting new paradigm for health care!"