Aurora Imaging Technology Inc., a North Andover company that has developed an MRI system specifically designed for 3-D breast imaging, announced Monday an exclusive China distribution agreement with the SUMEC Group Corp., one of the largest import and export corporations in China.

This agreement gives both companies a platform to expand China’s rapidly rising diagnostic and screening markets for breast MRI’s, Aurora said in a press release.

“This agreement provides us with access to the vital China market, where the need for advanced breast imaging technologies is now critical,” Olivia Ho Cheng, Aurora president and chief executive, said in a statement. “The incidence of breast cancer in parts of Asia is increasing rapidly and is catching up with Western rates. In addition, Asian women have a high propensity for dense breast tissue, which renders it very difficult to image using traditional breast imaging modalities. The Aurora Dedicated Breast MRI System offers an advantage over traditional breast imaging techniques, such as mammography for imaging dense breast tissue, making the need for access to this technology vital for Asian women.”

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