CapeRay
Encyclopedia
CapeRay Medical Ltd is a privately held company based in Cape Town
, South Africa
, that develops, manufactures and supplies medical imaging equipment for the diagnosis of breast cancer
. The company was originally formed as African Medical Imaging (AMI) in 1999 as a joint venture between De Beers
and the University of Cape Town
.
Funding for the company came first from the Innovation Fund of South Africa which is now part of the Technology Innovation Agency, followed by a grant from the National Institutes of Health
in the USA, and finally an investment by the venture capital unit of the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa. Kit Vaughan
is founder and CEO, having facilitated the formation of CapeRay as a spin out company.
CapeRay has developed a digital mammography
system known as the PantoScanner which brings a dual modality approach to breast cancer screening
, combining automated breast ultrasound
and low dose digital x-rays
to provide complementary information on the composition of breast tissue. The PantoScanner, which also incorporates digital tomosynthesis, combines the attributes of each modality to improve the sensitivity and specificity
for detecting breast cancer
.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, that develops, manufactures and supplies medical imaging equipment for the diagnosis of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. The company was originally formed as African Medical Imaging (AMI) in 1999 as a joint venture between De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
and the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
.
Funding for the company came first from the Innovation Fund of South Africa which is now part of the Technology Innovation Agency, followed by a grant from the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
in the USA, and finally an investment by the venture capital unit of the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa. Kit Vaughan
Kit Vaughan
Christopher L. ‘Kit’ Vaughan, DSc, , is Emeritus Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town in South Africa.-Scientist:...
is founder and CEO, having facilitated the formation of CapeRay as a spin out company.
CapeRay has developed a digital mammography
Digital mammography
Digital mammography is a specialized form of mammography that uses digital receptors and computers instead of x-ray film to help examine breast tissue for breast cancer. The electrical signals can be read on computer screens, permitting more manipulation of images to theoretically allow...
system known as the PantoScanner which brings a dual modality approach to breast cancer screening
Breast cancer screening
Breast cancer screening refers to the medical screening of asymptomatic, apparently healthy women for breast cancer in an attempt to achieve an earlier diagnosis. The assumption is that early detection will improve outcomes...
, combining automated breast ultrasound
Breast ultrasound
Breast ultrasound refers to the process of using medical ultrasonography to perform imaging of the breast.It can be considered either a diagnostic or a screening procedure.It may be used either with or without a mammogram....
and low dose digital x-rays
Digital X-ray
Digital radiography is a form of x-ray imaging, where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film. Advantages include time efficiency through bypassing chemical processing and the ability to digitally transfer and enhance images...
to provide complementary information on the composition of breast tissue. The PantoScanner, which also incorporates digital tomosynthesis, combines the attributes of each modality to improve the sensitivity and specificity
Sensitivity and specificity
Sensitivity and specificity are statistical measures of the performance of a binary classification test, also known in statistics as classification function. Sensitivity measures the proportion of actual positives which are correctly identified as such Sensitivity and specificity are statistical...
for detecting breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
.