Toshiba and Vital Images in Codevelopment Agreement to Advance Technology

Vital Images, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN, USA), a leading provider of advanced visualization and analysis software, and Toshiba Medical Systems Corp. (Tokyo, Japan), have signed a codevelopment and collaboration agreement in which they will enter into a mutual license of intellectual property and will jointly invest to develop and provide novel technological advancements for Toshiba's modalities, including the Aquilion One computed tomography (CT) scanner, and Vital Images' advanced visualization software systems.

The companies recently announced the renewal of their distribution agreement, which has been extended until 2013. The lengthened term of the new contract, accompanied by the codevelopment and collaboration agreement, enables the companies to jointly drive new technology and closely collaborate in developing and launching industry-leading sophisticated visualization solutions for medical imaging.

"We have had a close working relationship with Toshiba on Vitrea fX and Aquilion One for the past few years,” said Vikram Simha, chief technology officer at Vital Images. "However, this agreement establishes a new development framework enabling our companies to more rapidly create innovations, intellectual property, and next-generation technologies for all Toshiba modalities.”

"Toshiba believes that the new agreements recently signed with Vital Images for distribution and development will continue to enhance and extend our strategic partnership with Vital Images. These agreements will help us achieve our joint goal to deliver unique clinical capabilities leveraging industry-leading technology from both Toshiba and Vital Images,” said Yasuo Nobuta, general manager of CT Division, Toshiba Medical Systems. "Toshiba looks to strengthen its collaboration with Vital Images to develop industry-leading solutions.”

Toshiba's Aquilion One is the first dynamic volume CT scanner. This system transforms patient care by noninvasively providing structural and function information vital to diagnostic decision and reducing diagnostic time for life-threatening conditions, such as stroke and heart disease, from days and hours to only minutes. Unlike any other CT system, the Aquilion One can scan an entire organ in one rotation, considerably cutting the exam time as well as radiation and contrast doses. Each Aquilion One ships with a Vitrea fX solution--designed in collaboration with Toshiba for the Aquilion One. Vitrea fX has both U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing clearance and the CE Marking.

Toshiba Medical Systems is an independent group company of Toshiba Corp. The company is a global leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical systems, such as CT scanners, X-ray, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, and information systems for medical institutions.

Vital Images is a leading provider of visualization software solutions. The company's technology gives radiologists, cardiologists, oncologists, and other medical specialists, time-saving productivity and communications tools that can be accessed throughout the enterprise and via the web for easy use in the daily practice of medicine.

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