Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation Welcomes Corporate Gift From Sirtex Medical

Corporate Pledge of $50,000 Supports Major Fund-raising Initiative to Expand Minimally Invasive Medicine Into New Areas of Discovery

FAIRFAX, Va., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation's Discovery Campaign, which seeks to further the growth of minimally invasive medicine into new areas of discovery, announced a major corporate pledge to that initiative. Sirtex Medical Inc.—a medical devices company that researches, develops and brings to market novel treatments for liver cancer using small particle technology and has its U.S. headquarters in Wilmington, Mass.—has pledged $50,000 and is a "Partner in Research" supporter.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100127/SIRLOGO)

"With this commitment of support, Sirtex makes a solid investment in the education and training of the next generation of interventional radiologists," said Gordon McLennan, M.D., FSIR, chair of the SIRF board of directors and an interventional radiologist with the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He added that funding will be used to support grants, research consensus panels, registries, studies addressing comparative effectiveness, clinical trials and educational programming. "One of the major priorities of the SIR Foundation is to increase support for cutting-edge research. We thank Sirtex Medical for coming forward to support us on this venture," he noted.

"Sirtex Medical is proud to continue our long-standing relationship with SIR through this pledge to the SIR Foundation," said Michael Mangano, the company's president. "We are committed to the ongoing education and training of interventional radiologists to ensure that the high level of quality that this important discipline is renowned for can continue," he added.

The Discovery Campaign was launched initially in 2007 with an SIR membership phase. Last year marked the initiation of the campaign's outreach to the medical technology industry for support. For information about the Society of Interventional Radiology, a national organization of nearly 4,700 doctors, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving health care through minimally invasive treatments, visit online at www.SIRweb.org. For more information about the Discovery Campaign or to learn more about the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation, visit online at www.SIRFoundation.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation

SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit www.SIRFoundation.org.

About Sirtex Medical

Sirtex Medical, Inc. manufactures and commercializes SIR-Spheres microspheres, the only FDA-approved Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) for the treatment of colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver. SIR-Spheres microspheres are FDA approved for the treatment of non-resectable metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with intra-arterial FUDR chemotherapy. SIR-Spheres microspheres are also approved for use in many other countries, with approximately 18,000 treatments worldwide. For more information, visit www.sirtex.com.

SOURCE Society of Interventional Radiology