Microimaging technology developer VisualSonics and contrast agent developer Bracco have formed an exclusive partnership.
Under the deal, the firms will jointly develop and manufacture MicroMarker contrast agents optimized for preclinical molecular imaging on VisualSonics' Vevo 770 microultrasound platform, according to VisualSonics of Toronto and Bracco of Milan, Italy.
Bracco will develop and manufacture a complete range of contrast agent kits for VisualSonics' customer base; manufacturing will take place at Bracco Research in Geneva, Switzerland. The companies said they would collaborate to develop a range of kits and protocols for various biomarkers and research applications, including cancer, cardiology, and vascular applications.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
June 8, 2006
Related Reading
Bracco opens perfusion PET company, June 1, 2006
VisualSonics adds molecular imaging to Vevo 770, April 3, 2006
VisualSonics adds new cardiac capabilities, March 9, 2006
VisualSonics taps Lindner, February 23, 2006
Bracco inks Amerinet deal, January 26, 2006
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![Overview of the study design. (A) The fully automated deep learning framework was developed to estimate body composition (BC) (defined as subcutaneous adipose tissue [SAT] in liters; visceral adipose tissue [VAT] in liters; skeletal muscle [SM] in liters; SM fat fraction [SMFF] as a percentage; and intramuscular adipose tissue [IMAT] in deciliters) from MRI. The fully automated framework comprised one model (model 1) to quantify different BC measures (SAT, VAT, SM, SMFF, and IMAT) as three-dimensional (3D) measures from whole-body MRI scans. The second model (model 2) was trained to identify standardized anatomic landmarks along the craniocaudal body axis (z coordinate field), which allowed for subdividing the whole-body measures into different subregions typically examined on clinical routine MRI scans (chest, abdomen, and pelvis). (B) BC was quantified from whole-body MRI in over 66,000 individuals from two large population-based cohort studies, the UK Biobank (UKB) (36,317 individuals) and the German National Cohort (NAKO) (30,291 individuals). Bar graphs show age distribution by sex and cohort. BMI = body mass index. (C) After the performance assessment of the fully automated framework, the change in BC measures, distributions, and profiles across age decades were investigated. Age-, sex-, and height-adjusted body composition reference curves were calculated and made publicly available in a web-based z-score calculator (https://circ-ml.github.io).](https://img.auntminnieeurope.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/05/body-comp.XgAjTfPj1W.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
