GE Healthcare has signed a global collaboration agreement with Endra Life Sciences to develop the latter company’s Thermo Acoustic Enhanced Ultrasound (TAEUS) technology. Such technology is being developed to enable existing ultrasound systems to visualize tissue function, composition, and monitor a variety of therapeutic interventions at the point of care. Endra officials say these capabilities could have broad clinical applications, including noninvasively diagnosing fatty liver disease, which affects more than 1 billion people around the globe.
Under the terms of the deal, GE Healthcare will support Endra’s efforts to commercialize its TAEUS technology for use in a fatty liver application by providing equipment and technical advice, as well as facilitating introductions to GE Healthcare clinical ultrasound customers. In return, Endra will afford GE Healthcare certain rights of first offer with respect to manufacturing and licensing rights for the target application.
Endra’s CEO Francois Michelon spoke out about the deal, saying that it will be a major boon to business. “We are thrilled to partner with GE—the ultrasound market leader—to help us accelerate the development and commercialization of TAEUS technology,” he adds.
Brian McEathron, GE Healthcare’s vice president and general manager of radiology and vascular ultrasound, says the agreement similarly benefits GE—calling it a win-win situation. “We believe that Endra’s technology has the potential to bring significant new capabilities to ultrasound, which aligns well with GE Healthcare’s mission of broadening access to high-quality, cost-effective healthcare,” McEathron says.
For more information about the agreement, visit Endra Life Sciences.