In 1985, two colleagues from American Science and Engineering, Jay Stein and David Ellenbogen, founded Hologic to commercialize a bone scanning system that employed X-ray technology. It would become the world’s first X-ray bone densitometer for evaluating osteoporosis. Over the years, Hologic has acquired complementary companies that have enabled it to become a global player in women’s health and the undisputed market leader in mammography.
International Hospital talked to Pete Valenti, Division President, Breast and Skeletal Health Solutions at Hologic to learn more about the latest developments and strategy of this innovation-driven company.
1. Hologic is most generally associated with mammography and breast disease diagnosis. However, that’s not the whole story. How would you define the current positioning of the company?
Hologic was the first company to bring digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) to market, forging the path for how mammography exams are approached today, so it comes as no surprise that the company is most generally associated with breast cancer screening. However, as you suggest, screening is only one part of Hologic’s full story.
A global leader in women’s health, Hologic is primarily focused on improving women’s health and well-being through early detection and treatment across four divisions: Breast & Skeletal Health, Diagnostics, Gynecological Surgical Solutions and Cynosure, our medical aesthetics division. Each division is built on a foundation of the exceptional, clinically proven ability of our products to detect, diagnose and treat illnesses and other health conditions earlier and better, while also keeping in mind clinicians’ needs such as workflow efficiency.

2. Recently, Hologic has expanded its breast health product line significantly, could you briefly describe some of these innovative product launches?
We have spent the past several years thoughtfully expanding our breast health portfolio through a commitment to insight-driven innovation and strategic acquisitions that align with our mission. Now we can make a positive impact on breast health at each step of a woman’s journey – from screening to pathology.
The Trident® HD specimen radiography system and the LOCalizer™ wire-free guidance system are two products that launched in 2019 under our new breast surgery franchise.
The Trident HD system is a next-generation solution that delivers enhanced image quality, improved workflow and instant sample verification during breast-conserving surgeries and stereotactic breast biopsies, while the LOCalizer system is designed to enable precision and ease of use for breast surgery guidance. The system’s LOCalizer tag is designed to replace traditional wire-guided methods, helping provide increased comfort and convenience for patients and their healthcare teams.
Both products have received CE Mark in Europe and reflect Hologic’s aim to benefit both patients and clinicians by arming them with accurate, efficient technology.

3. This expanded product portfolio is enabling the company to be active in breast conserving surgery as well as pathology. Do you see these segments as a major growth opportunity?
I absolutely see breast conserving surgery and pathology as growth opportunities for Hologic; and, as touched upon earlier, I believe our expansion into these parts of the breast care continuum is also about making as much of a positive impact as possible for patients and clinicians throughout the entire pathway of care.
4. There have also been some strategic acquisitions lately, for example with the LOCalizer. Is this a scenario that might be repeated in the near future?
At Hologic, we are in a fortunate position where we are able to both innovate healthcare solutions from within and make strategic acquisitions from external sources. As opportunities arise, we are always willing to examine how we can continue to impact patients and clinicians in a positive way through new and consistently high-quality technology. 

5. What do you see as the next step for Hologic?
Hologic will continue to work to bring to market crucial healthcare solutions that address both patients’ and clinicians’ needs by taking into consideration all factors, from accuracy and workflow efficiency, to the patient experience and beyond. It is approaching innovation with this holistic view that sets Hologic apart as an industry leader, and by bringing this mindset into new areas of the healthcare continuum like breast conservation surgery, I believe Hologic will make an even greater positive impact on the lives of women across the globe.
I think we’ll also see great evolution in our technology and approaches to risk stratification as we continue to explore how to best leverage the benefits of artificial intelligence to support clinicians and the important work they are doing.

www.hologic.com

This year at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), Fujifilm displays its evolving portfolio of medical informatics and Enterprise Imaging innovations, presenting REiLI, its Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology initiative, and enhanced Synapse functions with SYNAPSE 3D CONSOLE MODE.

Fujifilm Medical Systems Europe will celebrate SYNAPSE’S 20-year anniversary and will present, REiLI the company’s global Medical Imaging and Informatics Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology initiative at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) annual meeting to be held from February 27th to March 3rd, 2019 at the Austria Congress Center in Vienna, Austria.

Under the REiLI brand, Fujifilm is developing AI technologies that strongly support diagnostic imaging workflow, leveraging the combination of deep learning in its AI technology with the Company’s image processing heritage. Fujifilm’s artificial intelligence software is a work in progress and is not commercially available in Europe.
Applications currently in development include, but are not limited to: Region Recognition, an AI technology to accurately recognize and consistently extract organ regions, regardless of deviations in shape, presence or absence of disease, and imaging conditions; Computer Aided Detection, an AI technology to reduce the time of image interpretation and support radiologists’ clinical decision making; Workflow Support, using AI technology to realize optimal study prioritization, alert communications of AI findings, and report population automation. At Fujifilm’s in-booth AI Center, it will be possible to see live demonstrations of AI delivering enhanced workflows.

SYNAPSE 3D CONSOLE MODE is the powerful native Advanced Visualization workflow in Synapse PACS. Synapse 3D is designed to enhance visualization features in Synapse 5. It offers advanced 3D rendering in the Synapse PACS Viewer to perform fast and accurate extractions, stenosis measurements, brain perfusion CT, MRI, and more.

The Fujifilm Healthcare IT platform showcased at ECR includes also the comprehensive medical informatics and enterprise-imaging portfolio:

SYNAPSE 5 is our next generation PACS, Synapse is one of the fastest medical imaging solutions in the industry, offering sub second delivery of extremely large datasets. Its underlying architecture promotes significantly less bandwidth consumption and tighter security.

SYNAPSE VNA is the most secure, comprehensive application for ingesting, storing and providing access to the complete imaging record. It securely integrates more specialties, more devices, and more data than any other VNA.

SYNAPSE MOBILITY Enterprise Viewer uses the latest server-side rendering technology to stream imaging securely and quickly to any authorized user. It can be used within applications, directly from the EHR, or on our mobile device apps. Both within and outside of the Enterprise, giving access to imaging immediately and helping clinicians making the most informed and accurate decisions.

SYNAPSE 3D is an enterprise-wide solution for quickly accessing multiple Advanced Visualization processing tools (in excess of 50 modules). Designed for use across multiple specialties including radiology, cardiology, surgery and more. Full integration with Synapse PACS means one-click extremely fast image processing from any Synapse client.

SYNAPSE CWM, Clinical Workflow Manager, is the most advanced Radiology Information System on the market today. It continues to evolve to support the unique imaging and information needs in today’s radiology department. One platform can support acute care facilities, imaging centres, and radiology practices providing distributed diagnosis.

SYNCRO-DOSE is the Radiation Dose Index Monitoring system, compliant with the Directive 2013/59 / EURATOM of the European Union. Syncro-Dose is a comprehensive system for monitoring and managing patient radiation exposure at enterprise level across different imaging modalities and hospital facilities.

THE 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SYNAPSE: THE WORLD’S FIRST WEB- BASED PACS
In 1983, Fujifilm launched Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR), becoming the first company in the world to offer a digital X-ray diagnostic imaging system. Medical professionals quickly learned the merits of digital diagnostic images, including ease of storage and processing. They found that images from a variety of tests and procedures could be shared within and among facilities, and the images could even be used for remote diagnosis and consultation. Recognizing this trend, Fujifilm saw the opportunity to leverage the technologies it had developed for FCR and contribute to the evolution of connectivity within and among medical facilities. What made Fujifilm’s SYNAPSE concept different was that it used the emerging Internet and web technologies instead of private networks. It was, in essence, a Web-based PACS: the first in the world.
Offering outstanding medical connectivity based on the convenient and efficient sharing of information, SYNAPSE made possible initial diagnosis at a local clinic, followed by more complete testing and treatment at a larger medical facility, in turn followed by periodic monitoring at the original local clinic. SYNAPSE’s rapid rate of adoption was due in large part to its capability, to contribute significantly to the quality of medical care, including support for the important objective of informed consent. Nowadays 5000 Synapse PACS systems are installed in healthcare facilities around the world, earning the largest market share worldwide (estimation based on a set of data from multiple market research studies), and last September “SYNAPSE 3D” (also known as Synapse Vincent in some global markets) a 3D image analysis system, won the Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2018 – the prestigious international design award in recognition of superior design, outstanding performance, and excellent operability.

www.fujifilm.euwww.fujifilmholdings.com