Optiscan Imaging has ticked off a major milestone in developing its telepathology platform with the project passing its proof-of-concept stage amid plans for the software to completed by the end of next year.
The company is developing digital pathology platforms to enable ground-breaking real-time collaboration between surgeons and pathologists at the actual time of patient procedures. The project aims to allow remote access for pathologists to undertake virtual biopsy assessments using Optiscan’s proprietary slide-free, biopsy-free, high-resolution single-cell imaging technology.
Management recently inked an exclusive collaboration with Canadian software developer Prolucid Technologies to develop artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms using its medical images to enable immediate clinical decision-making. Completing the proof-of-concept stage achieves key milestones in de-risking elements such as software latency, data capacity and infrastructure composition ahead of schedule.
We believe our telepathology platform will mark a game-changing moment in digital pathology. The platform will bring significant value to patients residing in rural or remote settings, while granting health systems the ability to access pathology expertise from anywhere in the world from any location including the operating theatre for real-time consultations between surgeons and pathologists. Optiscan Imaging managing director and chief executive officer Dr Camile Farah
Management says the medical profession’s current conventional biopsy approach is time-consuming for health providers, uncomfortable for patients and operationally-challenging for anyone living in rural and remote areas. Optiscan believes its imaging technology presents a unique opportunity to establish a new standard of digital pathology across the world.
Prolucid is an engineering company based in Ontario that specialises in custom software development for medical devices and systems. For more than 14 years, it has helped bring a wide variety of imaging, diagnostic, analytics and cloud-connected medical technologies to market for customers ranging from startups to large multinationals.
Optiscan’s partnership with the Canadian software developer aims to enhance the clinical capability of its technology, with the goal of developing a Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) application that will support image collection, processing and tissue analytics.
Prolucid says one of the challenges with SaMD solutions is identifying the appropriate infrastructure to build data-rich, commercially-viable solutions. However, it believes Optiscan’s platform is technologically-compatible, highly-secure and quickly-scalable across health systems.
Just last month, Optiscan successfully raised $16.7 million from an entitlement issue in its mission to pursue research and development projects, in addition to developing new clinical devices.
The raise included $8.8m from entitlement applications and $7.9m allocated to significant underwriters. In a solid show of support, two of Optiscan’s cornerstone investors – Peters Investments and Orchid Capital Investments – fully-subscribed to their entitlements under the pro-rata offer of one fully-paid ordinary share for every three shares held.
With funding secured and key milestones achieved – not to mention a curiously-clever medical technology invention – Optiscan will be on the market’s radar as it looks to complete its telepathology project before the end of next year.
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