Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) and Definiens, a Germany-based company specializing in image analysis solutions, have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop and market clinical decision support solutions for digital pathology.
Leveraging its expertise in medical imaging and healthcare informatics solutions (e.g. radiology Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS)), Philips is committed to delivering highly integrated solutions for digital pathology. Accurate and robust image analysis applications for quantifying biomarkers and histological features in tissue samples, both of which are core competencies at Definiens, are an essential element of such solutions.
The intended initial project between Philips and Definiens will focus on immunohistology-based breast cancer diagnostics, which includes the detection of biomarkers HER2, Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), Ki67 and p53. Philips and Definiens also plan to investigate solutions for other cancers such as prostate and colon cancer.
"The memorandum of understanding with Definiens underpins Philips' objective of offering a full suite of image analysis tools that can be used in combination with mainstream histological staining techniques and procedures in pathology," says Bob van Gemen, General Manager of Philips Digital Pathology. "As a result of ageing societies, there will be many more sick people in the world that need to be accurately and efficiently diagnosed. I am convinced that the combined knowledge of Philips and Definiens will result in meaningful innovations in pathology to speed up procedures and help pathologists in their decision making."
"We are very excited about this best-in-class alliance that brings together Philips, a well known leader in medical imaging and image management systems, and Definiens, the world-wide leader in image intelligence," said Thomas Heydler, CEO of Definiens. "This collaboration will play a major role in advancing health intelligence and contribute towards more accurate clinical diagnosis and treatment, which are two key hallmarks in the drive towards affordable and personalized healthcare."
Currently, anatomic pathologists examine tissue slices, after treating them with appropriate stains, through a microscope. The aim of staining is to reveal specific biomarkers of disease (such as cancer-related proteins) or to enhance contrast. Digitization of the images is now enabling the use of objective and quantitative image analysis tools. The expected benefits of this development include enhanced operational efficiency and productivity for pathology departments, and increased diagnostic confidence.
Philips and Definiens will both be exhibiting at the United States & Canadian Academy of Pathology 2010 annual meeting (March 20-26, Washington DC, USA), and invite interested parties to visit their respective exhibition booths for more information.
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About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 116,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 23 billion in 2009, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About Definiens
Definiens is the number one Enterprise Image Intelligence company for translational research and clinical diagnostics. From digital pathology to medical imaging, Definiens is empowering personalized, more affordable healthcare through a deeper understanding of images. The Definiens Cognition Network Technology®, developed by Nobel laureate Prof. Gerd Binnig and his team, is an advanced and robust context-based approach modeled on the powerful human cognitive perception processes to extract intelligence from images. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany and has offices in the United States. Further information is available at www.definiens.com.