Gamma Medica-Ideas, a provider of preclinical imaging instruments for in vivo small-animal imaging, was founded as Gamma Medica in 2000. In June 2005, Gamma Medica merged with the Norwegian company Ideas ASA, a manufacturer of solid-state digital detector electronics and imaging detector subsystems, to form Gamma Medica-Ideas (see IBO 10/15/05). Gamma Medica-Ideas has 85 employees. David Lapointe, vice president of marketing for Gamma Medica-Ideas, estimated that 60% of sales of the company’s preclinical imaging products went to the pharmaceutical market and 40% went to academia.

As Mr. Lapointe explained, the company has used the Ideas acquisition to develop an array of solid-state imaging products: “Our equipment is based upon our advanced proprietary technology that does for medical imaging what the transistor did for consumer electronics. As the transistor used semiconductor technology to create application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips that allowed products to simply work faster, smaller and less expensively, while simultaneously including more features than their analog predecessors, we use medical application sensor integrated to circuit (MASIC) chips to dramatically improve our imaging products, as compared to existing analog- and optical-based products.”

Released this June, the firm’s newest product is a computed tomography (CT) subsystem for its FLEX Triumph system. The new CT subsystem allows its users to choose between high-resolution, low-dose and high-throughput modes for whole mouse body scans. The FLEX Triumph system is Gamma Medica-Ideas’ flagship product for the preclinical imaging market, and enables its users to scan animals using CT, positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) modes on the same instrument. The company also offers single-mode systems for preclinical imaging. In March 2006, Gamma Medica-Ideas partnered with an undisclosed US manufacturer of baggage screening systems to provide CT-based detector modules for the manufacturer’s systems.