SAN DIEGO, Aug. 13 CA-SpectraScience
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SpectraScience, Inc.
(OTC Bulletin Board: SCIE), a San Diego-based medical devices company, today
announced that it has been awarded a patent for correcting image misalignment
between at least two images in a sequence of images due at least in part to
tissue sample movement. The patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,406,215, is titled
"Methods and systems for correcting image misalignment."
Jim Hitchin, SpectraScience's CEO, commented, "This is another key patent
in our broad patent portfolio that furthers our commitment at SpectraScience
to develop better, more reliable cancer screening technologies.
The patent is important to the Company's optical biopsy technology
because, in screening for some forms of cancer, the optical response of the
tissue is captured in a sequence of images that are characterized by analyzing
the time-dependent response of the tissue as recorded in the sequence. During
this type of screening, the tissue may move while images are being taken,
resulting in a spatial shift within the image frame field. Being able to
correct for this shift increases the effectiveness of the optical biopsy
procedure. Tissue movement can be caused by the natural movement of the
patient during the procedure, which can occur despite a patient's attempts to
remain completely still. This patent provides for an accurate analysis of the
sequence of images which would otherwise be misaligned due to movement of the
tissue.
Hitchin added, Accurate imaging is critical to earlier and more effective
identification of abnormal, pre-cancerous and/or cancerous tissue, and this
invention provides methods of determining a correction for a misalignment in
the imaging process that will make our screening devices more powerful to the
physician and more important to the patient."
SpectraScience has filed for 60 patents worldwide on its WavSTAT(R)
Optical Biopsy System and LUMA(R) Cervical Imaging System that are used to
diagnose tissue to quickly determine if it is normal, pre-cancerous, or
cancerous. The WavSTAT and LUMA Systems are currently approved by the FDA for
detecting pre-cancer and cancer in the colon and cervix, and an evaluation for
detection of pre-cancers in the throat ("Barrett's esophagus") is being
tested.
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause SpectraScience's
actual results to differ materially from results discussed in forward-looking
statements. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various
disclosures made by SpectraScience in this news release, its most recent Form
10-K and in SpectraScience's other reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC") that attempt to advise interested parties of the
risks and factors that may affect SpectraScience's business. These forward-
looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the cautions and risk
factors filed by SpectraScience in its annual report on Form 10-K and other
documents.
About SpectraScience, Inc.
SpectraScience is a San Diego based medical device company that designs,
develops, manufactures and markets spectrophotometry systems capable of
determining whether tissue is normal, pre-cancerous or cancerous without
physically removing tissue from the body. The WavSTAT Optical Biopsy System
uses light to optically scan tissue and provide the physician with an
immediate analysis. With FDA approval for sale in the U.S. and the CE Mark for
the European Union, the WavSTAT System is the first commercially available
product that incorporates this innovative technology for clinical use. The
Company's LUMA imaging technology has received FDA approval for an optical
non-invasive system that is proven to more effectively detect cervical cancer
precursors than conventional methods available in the market today.
Contact:
SpectraScience, Inc.
Jim Hitchin, Chief Executive Officer
(858) 847-0200 x201
Hayden Communications
Investor Relations
Todd Pitcher
(858)-518-1387
SOURCE SpectraScience, Inc.
