ASX-listed medtech company Optiscan Imaging (ASX: OIL) has rolled out its first flexible endomicroscope prototype capable of capturing real-time images from the gastrointestinal tract (GI).
To help test the cutting-edge, second-generation (Gen2) imaging technology, the company has teamed up with the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, to launch the all-important pre-clinical study. The duo will use the Gen2 device to capture GI images to assess its ability to use the real-time images to diagnose and treat gut diseases, including cancer.
World-renowned gastroenterologist professor Ralph Kiesslich is leading the study on the imaging technology, which is a miniature digital microscopy probe that can fit the biopsy channels of most endoscopes.
No stranger to innovation, professor Kiesslich also played a pivotal role in the design, launch and clinical adoption of Optiscan’s first-generation flexible endomicroscope in partnership with Pentax in the early 2000s.
Optiscan’s chief executive officer and managing director Dr Camile Farah was in Germany to kick off the program at the start of the year and to forward plan clinical trials for the next few months.
GI diseases represent a significant global health challenge, affecting millions of lives each year. Early detection and precise intervention are critical, yet traditional diagnostic tools often fall short in providing timely and accurate insights.
Optiscan’s CEO and Managing Director Dr Camile Farah
The company says recent research of its Gen2 system suggests the device could generate an eye-watering $8 billion in market revenue in the United States alone, by offering doctors cutting-edge real-time clarity of their patients’ gut health at a cellular level.
The latest technology could potentially reduce the need for multiple biopsies and streamline clinical decision-making, improving on traditional diagnostic methods that can struggle to provide the real-time precision doctors require.
The adoption of its GI endomicroscopy technology could also trigger an estimated additional $9.5 billion in overall healthcare benefits in the US, according to research Optiscan commissioned last year from US-based consultants Latham Biopharm Group.
The information collected from the Gen2 trials will allow Optiscan’s engineers - under professor Keisslich’s guidance - to develop a third-generation (Gen3) flexible endomicroscope. Optiscan expects Gen3 to be ready in the coming year and will use it in any subsequent clinical trials.
As part of its longer-term planning, the company is also investigating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve early disease detection. In collaboration with Monash University, it is collecting and analysing imaging data from a range of GI diseases. The partnership is part of an Australian federal government-backed Co-operative Research Centres project grant worth $3 million.
Optiscan says its AI-driven approach has the potential to push diagnostic accuracy to new heights, making way for faster and more precise medical diagnoses of GI disease, including colorectal cancer, which is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
GI diseases present a huge health challenge around the world. Traditional diagnostic methods often involve invasive procedures and long waits for lab results, delaying critical findings.
Optiscan says its technology should instead deliver real-time, high-resolution imaging at a single cell level, allowing much more precise and real-time results.
As the demand for digital health solutions continues to grow, Optiscan’s innovative approach appears to be positioning the company as a key player in the future of real-time, less invasive medical imaging.
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