mivenion to establish Rheumascan at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

About 5% of the patients attending primary care physicians intermittently suffer from swelling and tenderness of the hand joints. In many cases, inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis are the main cause of the disease symptoms and, without treatment, may lead to poor outcome and lifelong suffering. In recent years there is increasing evidence that early diagnosis and treatment of arthritis may effectively stop the progression of the disease.

Fluorescence optical imaging is a sensitive and safe diagnostic technology that has been proven in animal research for years. In vivo fluorescence imaging has several important advantages over other imaging techniques. There is no exposure to harmful radiation, it is relatively inexpensive, and images can be acquired rapidly. The fluorescence camera system Xiralite in combination with the diagnostic dye ICG is the first dedicated solution for the Rheumascan procedure to diagnose arthritis in the hands. Rheumascan is optimized to detect even very low amounts of the diagnostic dye ICG and thereby enables the diagnosis of small or early inflammatory lesions. Signal intensity, localization of the signal, and the time period of enhancement are relevant for differential diagnosis. Rheumascan is an on-site diagnostic procedure at the point of care with real time results.

mivenion, Berlin, Germany, now announce the installation of a Rheumascan workstation at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, the first installation outside the domestic home market Germany. “We are very proud that the unit for clinical therapy research in inflammatory diseases of the renowned Karolinska Institutet is the first to establish our innovative diagnostic solution in a professional environment of modern patient care in Rheumatology throughout the Scandinavian countries. From all we know, we are very convinced that the Rheumascan will deliver important and relevant diagnostic information for the well being of patients with inflammatory joint disorders. In addition, such an institution will clearly expand its clinical research capabilities with our optical imaging system” said Dr. Malte Bahner, radiologist and managing director of mivenion.

“We are very excited about having the possibility of working with Fluorescence Optical Imaging using Rheumascan as a new imaging modality for patients with various forms of arthritis of the hands. Therapy of the inflammatory joint disorders has become increasingly complex, offering treatment options not thought of only ten years ago. Our ambition is to combine therapy research for inflammatory disorders with patient care, and by having this novel technology available we hope to learn how more about the disease process in relationship to diagnosis and therapy. We hope and expect that we can effectively integrate this modality in the diagnostic process as well as in the monitoring of patients on specific antirheumatic therapies. We are also looking forward to working together with colleagues in Germany who have already started using this technology. In the end, we strive to combine our expertise in the rheumatic diseases with modern technologies, to the benefit of our patients. Rheumascan is another step in this direction” said Ronald F. van Vollenhoven, MD PhD, Professor and Chief, Unit for Clinical Therapy Research, Inflammatory Diseases (ClinTRID), The Karolinska Institute.

mivenion GmbH is a life-science company focusing on personalized medicine for patients with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. With its strong expertise in both pharmaceuticals and medical devices, mivenion is providing cutting edge solutions for life-long patient care. A compelling network of academia and industry partners is supporting mivenion in achieving its goals. Broad patent applications are the foundation of mivenion’s proprietary position. mivenion’s drug development candidates comprise both diagnostic and therapeutic properties and are perfectly suited for optimizing each individual treatment case. mivenion’s medical solutions encompass innovative diagnostic imaging and provide evidence on treatment outcome. Xiralite, the leading product of mivenion, enables the Rheumascan procedure. It for the first time provides an integrated solution for patients with inflammatory diseases in the hands. Based on optical technologies, active inflammation is diagnosed at a very early stage with confidence, attractive technical ease, and high patient comfort.

Media contact:
Dr. Michael Schirner
mivenion GmbH
Robert-Koch-Platz 4
10115 Berlin
Germany
Phone +49 30 68837920
info@mivenion.com

This release was published on openPR.