Collaborations
Thermoacoustic Computed Tomography (TCT) is a new molecular imaging technique that is emerging as a valuable tool to study disease mechanisms and facilitate drug discovery. Its unique capabilities include the ability to image with femptomole sensitivity and high detail the location of optically-tagged probes. OptoSonics is actively seeking collaborators to help us develop innovative applications of TCT.
If you are interested in exploring potential collaboration, please feel free to contact us.
Some of our current collaborations are described below.
Indiana University Medical Center
OptoSonics sold its first TCT Small Animal Scanner to Indiana University Medical Center. We are currently working with Dr. Gary Hutchins, Vice Chairman for Research and head of the Imaging Sciences Division of the Department of Radiology in the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Hutchins also serves as the Director of the Indiana Center of Excellence in Biomedical Imaging. His research facilities include a micro-PET scanner, an EVS micro-X-Ray CT scanner, two Varian 9.4T MR systems, and a BERTHOLD NightOWL LB981 imaging system, all dedicated to imaging mice and rats.
OptoSonics is pursuing the following research goals at Indiana University:
- Develop a methodology that will allow us to co-register and fuse images made from micro-CT, micro-PET, micro-MR and TCT. This capability will allow us to overlay one type of imaging information on another. Such multi-modality presentations have been shown to enhance the utility of both imaging modalities. For example, overlaying molecular probe distributions, imaged with TCT onto micro-CT, which is excellent for identifying bony landmarks, allows researchers to better identify specific anatomic sites of molecular probe uptake.
- Explore the ability to quantify hypoxia (low oxygen saturation) in normal and cancerous tissue using multi-spectral TCT. In this application, TCT images are formed at 4 – 6 different wavelengths between 680 – 950 nm without the use of a molecular probe. Since tissue is comprised predominantly of water, lipid, oxy-hemoglobin, and deoxy-hemoglobin - each with its own unique spectral absorption “signature” - we intend to unravel the oxy/deoxy-hemoglobin ratio, from which tissue oxygen saturation can be inferred, from the multispectral images. We will use micro-PET to validate our results in vivo.
Washington University Sietman Cancer Center
OptoSonics has submitted a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant application to the NIH in collaboration with researchers at Washington University Siteman Cancer Center (Dr. Achilefu, Co-PI). Our intent is to site a pre-production prototype TCT Small Animal Scanner at Washington University, and work with Dr. Achilefu to develop optically absorbing, molecular probes based on peptide-cypate conjugates.
The company will pursue the following research goals at Washington University:
- Construct an engineering prototype TCT Small Animal Scanner and site the device at the Optical Radiology Laboratory, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. There, researchers will evaluate the detection of tumors in rodents by TCT and compare the imaging capabilities of this TCT scanner to a commercial micro-PET scanner and conventional fluorescence-intensity imager in a series of phantom and in vivo mouse-imaging experiments.
- Using novel molecular probes that have been tagged with positron emitters and optical dyes, develop analytic tools to quantify the concentrations of dye-labeled molecular probes from TCT images, first in phantoms, then in mice in vivo. OptoSonics will validate these methodologies in vivo using correlative results from established micro-PET images and histopathologic examination.
OptoSonics is working in collaboration with Imasonic SA, Besançon, France, to develop transducer arrays specifically designed for optimum performance in thermoacoustic imaging applications. These transducers combine high sensitivity and wide bandwidth in a variety of unique array geometries.
OptoSonics, Inc. is partnering with Indiana University's Advanced Research and Technology Institute (ARTI) to develop business planning and product funding strategies.
