Tomophase Corporation
announced today that it will display the first in-vivo
cross-sectional images of implanted pulmonary stents using
their proprietary optical coherence tomography (OCT) system
at the CHEST meeting in Philadelphia, Oct. 27th through Oct.
29th. The images were captured using the Tomophase OCT
System as part of an ongoing research collaboration with Dr.
Armin Ernst, Director of Interventional Pulmonology and Dr.
Hisashi Tsukada, Research Associate, at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Tomophase OCT System enables the interventional
pulmonologist to clearly visualize sub-epithelial tissue
structures in the airway. The system, which is not yet
FDA-approved, utilizes a near-infrared emitting probe in a
catheter which is integrated with a conventional video
bronchoscope. The images captured by the research team at
Beth Israel are from in-vivo animal model tracheal tissue.
During the next several months, the company plans to
continue this work as it progresses towards use of the
system in human clinical studies.
"Our goal at Tomophase is to use our proprietary optical
technology to help clinicians image subsurface pulmonary
tissue at a level of resolution currently unavailable, while
not exposing the patient to potentially harmful radiation,
UV light or contrast agents," commented Dr. Peter Norris,
CEO of Tomophase. "Much of the structure in the airways
beneath the epithelial layer is essentially invisible to
clinicians. Providing real-time access to this information
could provide major benefits to both diagnostic and
therapeutic approaches to many pulmonary diseases. We
believe this research collaboration with Beth Israel
Deaconess is an important first step in establishing the
utility of this breakthrough technology in both research and
the clinic."
"These latest imaging results from the Tomophase OCT system
show excellent detail in the region surrounding the
implanted stent," commented Dr. Ernst. "As such, it may
ultimately prove very useful to clinicians in understanding
the detailed nature of the interaction between the stent
material, including those made from bio-absorbable
materials, and the surrounding tissue. High-resolution,
cross-sectional OCT imaging technology may also have the
potential to provide real-time evaluation of other drug and
device/tissue interactions as well."
About Tomophase Corporation
Tomophase Corporation is a private company founded in 2003
based on proprietary technology innovations in the field of
optical coherence tomography and its use to image tissue at
high resolution. With Tomophase OCT, researchers and
clinicians can observe tissue structure within 2-3 mm of the
surface without the use of radiation, UV light or image
contrast agents. Tomophase is pursuing the first application
of its technology in pulmonary medicine for the
visualization of airways. Future development areas include
respiratory therapy development, lung cancer management and
surgical guidance.
Tomophase Corporation