Researchers to Apply Guardian’s Unique Signature Mapping Technology to Develop New Methods to Address Worldwide Health Pandemics
Guardian Technologies International, Inc. (OTCBB:GDTI), innovators of groundbreaking medical imaging and threat detection technology with critical and immediate applications for the healthcare and homeland security markets, has announced that contract negotiations have commenced on a strategic partnership with a respected and internationally recognized research institute to develop a next-generation method of detecting and diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, diseases currently responsible for millions of deaths worldwide each year.
Under the research partnership, Guardian and the institute’s scientists will work to perfect the use of the Company’s Signature Mapping imaging technology to automatically detect, identify, and quantify the bacteria that causes TB and the parasites that cause malaria. Guardian’s Signature Mapping™ technology has been integrated with numerous existing medical diagnostic systems -- including MRI, x-ray and others. Enhanced with Signature Mapping, these systems can detect disease conditions with very significantly increased levels of sensitivity and accuracy.
“The major value of Guardian’s Signature Mapping technology for the detection of both TB and malaria is the elimination of a time-consuming, labor-intensive and tedious process, which requires highly-trained laboratory technologists to scan sputum samples to accurately detect, identify, diagnose the disease and measure disease loads on healthy samples under microscopic technique on cultured slides,” explained Richard Borrelli, Guardian's Vice President of Business Development - Healthcare. “Automation of these processes with our technology can reduce labor costs, provide faster diagnoses and delivery of therapeutic treatments, eliminate the human errors and sharply improve detection rates and accurate diagnosis.”
“Put simply, improved diagnostics translate into earlier administration of treatments and ultimately lives saved,” said Mr. Borrelli. “In the case of the world TB and malaria epidemics, faster, less expensive and more accurate diagnoses also result in improved control of the worldwide spread of these diseases. These new clinical applications go far beyond the radiographic applications disclosed to date and demonstrate the broad latitude of medical applications which will benefit from Guardian’s Signature Mapping technology.”
The internationally recognized medical research institute is a world leader in research and treatment involving TB, HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases. The institute’s name is not being released at this time.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared tuberculosis a global health emergency. TB is a contagious wasting disease caused by any of several bacteria; the most common form of the disease is tuberculosis of the lungs. Some drug-resistant strains can be extremely resistant even to the most powerful antibiotics. Reported statistics indicate that approximately 8.8 million people annually develop tuberculosis and that approximately 2 million people die of TB every year. Epidemiologists currently estimate that one-third of the world's population – 2 billion people – is currently infected with the TB bacillus. The disease kills more youth and adults than any other infectious disease.
Although TB infections are less widespread and uncommon in the United States and other developed countries, nationwide health concerns were triggered earlier this year when a United States citizen flew on a commercial airline while infected with a drug-resistant strain of the disease. Such examples highlight the vulnerability of western populations and need for continued improvements.
Malaria is a major threat to 40% of the world’s population – approximately 2.5 billion people – mostly those living in the poorest countries. WHO estimates that 1.5 million people die each year from the disease, although the fatalities could be as high as 3 million annually. More than 500 million people become severely ill with malaria every year, 90% of the cases are in Africa, where one out of every five children dies from the disease. Unfortunately, drug therapies exist to reverse these statistics; however delivery of the therapies is severely hampered by the extended process of detection.
Malaria, as in TB diagnostics, Guardian’s Signature Mapping imaging technology has, on an initial study basis, been shown to automate the identification, detection and measurement of the parasites that cause malaria in blood samples, automatically, with far higher sensitivity and accuracy than possible under current medical laboratory techniques.
About Guardian Technologies International
The impact of Guardian’s industry-first computer aided detection technologies are immediate and profound for helping to eliminate human error in both the Homeland Security and the Medical Industry sectors. The Company’s software solutions can be seamlessly installed to compliment existing imaging devices, such as baggage scanners and medical MRI, to scan the contents of any image and immediately identify items of interest not easily discernable by the human eye.
- Airport Security: Guardian’s technology compliments and enhances current-generation baggage x-ray scanners with the ability to automatically and effectively detect, locate, and identify explosives and other types of threats.
- Disease Identification: Existing medical imaging devices used in Computer Aided Detection (CAD) are further improved with Guardian’s auto-diagnostic ability to detect anomalous tissue (e.g., tumors) and other potential disease states or conditions.
- Technology-Independence: Because Guardian’s technologies utilize and process the actual image output generated by the original imaging systems, virtually any existing or future imaging device can be upgraded with Guardian’s products, delivering an instant, multi-billion dollar potential customer base with no competition.
Guardian’s technology and product development partnerships include a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security- Science and Technology Directorate. The Company’s platform and product suite is protected by a robust patent portfolio. They are also ramping up new technologies and plan to acquire complimentary technologies to accelerate the Company’s high-growth business model.
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Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this document and those made from time to time by Guardian through its senior management are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to the future events or financial performance discussed in this release, based on management's beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. When used, the words "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "project", "should", "expect", "plan", "assume" and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements concerning future plans or results are necessarily only estimates and actual results could differ materially from expectations. Certain factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, among other things, in particular, the size and timing of contract awards, performance on contracts, performance of acquired companies, availability and cost of key components, unanticipated results from audits of the financial results of the Company and acquired companies, changing interpretations of generally accepted accounting principles, outcomes of government reviews, developments with respect to litigation to which we are a party, potential fluctuations in quarterly results, dependence on large contracts and a limited number of customers, lengthy sales and implementation cycles, market acceptance of new or enhanced products and services, proprietary technology and changing competitive conditions, system performance, management of growth, dependence on key personnel, ability to obtain project financing, general economic and political conditions and other factors affecting spending by customers, the unpredictable nature of working with government agencies and other risks, uncertainties and factors including those described from time to time in Guardian's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation, Guardian's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Guardian expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Guardian Technologies International, Inc.
Richard Borrelli, 703-464-5495
info@guardiantechintl.com
or
Financial Communications
Trilogy Capital Partners
Ryon Harms, 800-592-6067
ryon@trilogy-capital.com