Sentinelle Medical Enters OEM Distribution Agreement with Siemens AG

TORONTO - Sentinelle Medical Inc., a leading manufacturer of breast MRI coils and software and Siemens Healthcare announced an OEM Distribution Agreement for Sentinelle's Vanguard(R) coils. Under this agreement, Siemens will sell the "Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens" coil for the MRI family members MAGNETOM(R) Espree, MAGNETOM(R) Avanto and MAGNETOM(R)

Symphony, A Tim(TM) System. The Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens is also integrated into the new MAGNETOM Espree - Pink, a dedicated system devoted to excellence in MR Breast Care. The Agreement also anticipates future development collaborations.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. In 2008, 182,460 new cases were diagnosed and 40,480 women died of breast cancer in the US(1). The National Cancer Institute estimates that a woman has a 1-in-8 chance of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. The American Cancer Society's new screening guidelines will impact up to one million high-risk women by recommending they receive additional annual MRI screenings. A high percentage of these women will benefit from breast MRI.

The Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens enables excellent quality MR images of the breast and provides complete and open access for intervention with an award winning design that optimizes patient comfort and workflow. The coil is designed with Variable Coil Geometry(TM) (VCG) that allows the coil to accommodate a wide range of patient sizes, and increases signal-to-noise ratio delivering excellent image quality.

Integration into Siemens' MAGNETOM Espree - Pink

MAGNETOM Espree - Pink combines the 70cm Open-Bore design of the MAGNETOM

Espree with the Sentinelle Vanguard solution. The breast coil offers exceptional breast imaging and biopsy access. MAGNETOM Espree - Pink offers unmatched patient comfort, and an innovative workflow pushing MRI Breast Care to the next level.

"Patients are always nervous during breast MRI examinations and biopsies. The biggest advantage in using MAGNETOM Espree and the Sentinelle system is the wide open access," said Jae K. Kim, MD, PhD, Radiology Limited, Tuscon, Arizona.

"Sentinelle is dedicated to improving breast cancer management, healthcare outcomes and patient experience." said Cameron Piron, Sentinelle's President and CEO. "We are extremely pleased to be working with a market leader like Siemens. With this latest distribution agreement, even more women will have access to leading-edge MRI technology."

"The Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens provides renowned technology for both imaging and biopsy. This benefits the customer by offering excellent image quality, optimized biopsy access for increased accuracy, and fast examination times for higher patient throughput," said Walter Mrzendorfer, head of Magnetic Resonance, Siemens Healthcare.