Surgical lighting technology developer OnLume (Madison, WI) has received support from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to accelerate work on a fluorescence image-guided surgery (FIGS) system.
Related: Advanced surgery: NIR fluorescence guidance arrives
The company received the $300,000 Phase I SBIR grant through the National Cancer Institute (NCI; Bethesda, MD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the development of imaging and lighting systems for transient lighting in FIGS. A portion of the work is being performed in collaboration with researchers led by Kevin Eliceiri at the Morgridge Institute for Research and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
FIGS systems use fluorescent dyes for real-time intraoperative imaging of subsurface blood vessels, perfusion, and cancer, in which residual cancerous cells give off light that surgeons may use to guide the removal of additional tissue. But the light-sensitive technology typically requires a darkened operating environment, limiting its use to surgeons and disrupting the treatment process.
OnLume's transient lighting technology enables fluorescence-guided methods to work in the operating room without any discernible loss of light for surgeons.
FIGS is rapidly evolving and has broad clinical applications, such as more efficient and efficacious removal of tumors when used in conjunction with cancer-targeting fluorescent drugs. However, one of its challenges is eliminating light contamination from ambient room lighting, which impedes the fluorescence signal emitted from the patient during a surgical procedure. OnLume's technology offers broad compatibility with fluorescent drugs across the fluorescent spectrum while eliminating the contaminating light.
For more information, please visit www.onlume.com.