October 11, 2012 — Tranzbyte Corp. signed a preliminary agreement to acquire the North and South American marketing rights to one of the world's least expensive and most practical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, the Cirrus MRI from Hurricane Enterprises Ltd., a Hong Kong company.
Hurricane Enterprises obtained exclusive distribution rights to the Cirrus Open 0.2T MRI, developed in Canada under the funding of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). The Cirrus MRI is an open MRI device intended to provide a physician with a patient's internal physiological imagery using MRI techniques, all without the use of ionizing radiation or advanced cryogenics.
The intellectual property rights for the machine continue to be held by the NRC, with manufacturing rights held by a consortium of scientists involved in the development of the technology. Worldwide distributor rights are held in a Hong Kong company controlled by Hurricane Enterprises Ltd.
Principle advantages of the Cirrus Open 0.2T MRI are its lower purchase price and lower operating costs. Because it does not require cooling with liquid helium, it is also much safer and more appropriate for use in remote areas. Also, the Cirrus MRI is more resilient against local power level fluctuations. The software-driven device comes equipped with Internet-ready capability, allowing radiologists and technicians anywhere with Internet access to review results in real time from the convenience of their urban hospital settings.
"I believe the Cirrus Open MRI will enable doctors and patients living in thousands of locales throughout the world to take advantage of this potentially life-saving technology at a cost per image far below what is considered standard," said David Gwyther, president of Tranzbyte.
For more information: www.tranzbyte.com