A Medical Device Daily

Siemens Medical Solutions (SMS; Research Triangle Park; North Carolina) and Xintek (Research Triangle Park; North Carolina) reported signing an agreement to establish a joint venture company in Research Triangle Park. The mission of the new company, named XinRay Systems, is to develop a new multi-pixel X-ray source technology for a broad range of diagnostic imaging applications.

X-ray radiation is widely used for a broad range of applications, including medical imaging and therapy, homeland security, and industrial inspection. The basic design of the X-ray tubes, however, has not changed significantly since Roentgen's discovery more than 100 years ago. Siemens and Xintek have developed a nanotechnology-based field emission X-ray source technology that fundamentally changes how X-ray radiation is generated and utilized. This technology is expected to enable new diagnostic imaging systems with enhanced performance and new capabilities.

The joint venture company combines the activities Siemens and Xintek have been undertaking jointly over the last two years under one roof in North Carolina and is staffed by a technical team transferred from both companies' facilities in Germany and China.

Xintek develops nanotechnology-based products for industries.

Siemens Medical Solutions is a healthcare supplier.

In other new ventures: In a move to improve noninvasive treatment options for patients, Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, California) and BrainLAB (Westchester, Illinois) have teamed up to create Novalis Tx, integrating the radiosurgery technologies from both companies for imaging, treatment planning, and treatment delivery.

Novalis Tx integrates Varian's Trilogy Tx linear accelerator and new HD120 multi-leaf collimator offering 2.5 mm leaves for finer beam shaping.

"This powerful platform enables both companies to offer radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons and other medical specialists the sharpest knife available for radiosurgery," said Tim Guertin president/CEO of Varian. "This product introduction is a natural extension of a relationship that has been in place since 1996, when BrainLAB and Varian incorporated linear accelerator and multileaf collimator technologies to create the Novalis line of radiosurgery products."

Unlike other radiosurgical devices which are limited to a six million electron volt (MEV) energy level, the Novalis Tx allows multiple beam energies from 6 to 20 MEV for treating deep-seated tumors and sparing surrounding healthy tissue more effectively.

The Novalis Tx is currently on display at the 57th annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS; Schaumburg, Illinois), taking place through today in San Diego.

Varian develops software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy.

BrainLAB said it develops software-driven medical technology that enables procedures that are more precise, less invasive, and less expensive than traditional treatments.