There was a time when a vascular surgeon only had flat, two-dimensional CT or MRI scans of a patient to refer to when considering what will be the best approach to surgery. Now, thanks to a West Lebanon-based biotech company, that surgeon can utilize three-dimensional models, created from patient scans, for pre-op planning.
In recognition of this and other innovative technology it has pioneered, M2S has won the Innovation Rocks! Award from the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development’s Business Resource Center and Rock 101 (WGIR-FM).
Founded in 1997, M2S specializes in HIPPA- compliant medical image and data management services for clinical data registries, advanced radiographic image analysis and aortic disease device clinical trials. The goal: to improve patient outcomes.
According M2S President and COO, Greg Lange, “We provide three-dimensional medical imaging to physicians and hospitals all over the U.S. Using digital scans they provide, we create 2D and 3D models, complete with measurement tools that can be used for optimal pre-op planning. For example, our advanced imaging software has been used widely in vascular surgery planning for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA).” By also using M2S’s web-based database system, the physician can track patients over time to determine and refine treatment strategies and achieve better outcomes.”
Customized registries that collect long-term data are another M2S product. One example is the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI), established by the Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) in partnership with M2S. VQI provides a a common platform for participating institutions and physicians to analyze outcomes of nine procedures, reinforce best practices, and share quality improvement efforts. More than 85 institutions are taking part in VQI, entering data on an average of 300 procedures a week. Another aspect of the initiative is regional collaboration of program participants. Under the auspices of the SVS Patient Safety Organization, regional quality groups share and analyze data through anonymous, benchmarked reports to initiate quality-improvement projects. There are regional groups all over the U.S., including New England, that meet twice each year.
“M2S has been committed to improving vascular patient outcomes for over ten years with our advanced 3D modeling technology. We believe that the addition of the Vascular Quality Initiative to our scope of services, combined with our standardized pre- and post-operative imaging, will significantly improve patient care,” explains Lang.
“M2S is an example of a biotech start-up with roots in academia—in this case, Dartmouth—that has evolved to become an innovation leader in its industry,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Chris Way in making the announcement that M2S was chosen as the December 2011 Innovation Rocks! winner. “We anticipate they’ll grow their business in other specialty areas in the future while continuing to develop their technology in-house, right here in New Hampshire.”
For more information about M2S, visit www.m2s.com.
“Innovation Rocks!” is an initiative sponsored by the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development’s Business Resource Center in coordination with Rock 101 (WGIR-FM) to celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of New Hampshire innovators.
Tags: Business Resource Center, Chris Way, Greg Lange, Innovation Rocks!, M2S, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, Rock 101, WGIR-FM