Insightec

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InSightec Ltd., founded in 1999, is a privately held company owned by Elbit Medical Imaging (EMI), General Electric, private investors and employees. InSightec was founded specifically to develop MR (magnetic resonance) guided Focused Ultrasound technology. Headquartered in Tirat Hacarmel near Haifa, Israel, with US headquarters in Dallas Texas, the company has over 100 employees.

InSightec developed ExAblate 2000 – a surgical system that combines Magnetic resonance imaging and Focused Ultrasound to non-invasively treat tumors inside the body without the need for incisions. During this outpatient procedure, the patient lies inside an MRI scanner, which provides three-dimensional images of the diseased tissue and surrounding area, enabling precise guidance of the ultrasound waves. High intensity focused ultrasound waves are then directed into the body at specific tissue, raising the temperature of the targeted tissue to 65 to 85 degrees Celsius, destroying it. The imaging capabilities of the MRI scanner provide real-time feedback on all aspects of the procedure which gives the physician a high degree of control over its therapeutic outcome.

ExAblate 2000 has been approved to treat uterine fibroids, and is currently in use in the US, Israel, Europe and Asia. Clinical trials are being conducted to evaluate ExAblate 2000 for treatment of other diseases such as breast, liver, bone and brain cancers.

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