GE Healthcare sister company GE Global Research has been awarded a two-year $1.2 million grant under the U.S. government's stimulus program from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The grant was awarded to develop a low-cost transducer for portable ultrasound systems that will produce high-quality images for monitoring pregnancy, according to the Niskayuna, New York-based research branch. The goal of the project is to increase access to prenatal care by simplifying the use and reducing the cost of ultrasound systems.
Besides developing the technology, GE will partner with maternal and fetal medicine physicians at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, UT, to evaluate the equipment and education of young physicians in both hospital and rural health settings.
Expanding the use of ultrasound in underserved communities is expected to improve the detection and diagnosis of such life-threatening conditions as ectopic pregnancy, placenta previa, fetal malposition, and pre-eclampsia, said the firm.
Related Reading
GE launches eHealth division, October 30, 2009
GE sells AgilTrac to Virtua, October 28, 2009
GE Expands Logiq E9 scanner, October 23, 2009
GE forms $250M healthcare equity fund, October 22, 2009
Class-action lawsuit hits Cedars-Sinai, GE over CT dose, October 20, 2009
Copyright © 2009 AuntMinnie.com
