AMPLITUDE · Project

Laser Imaging Tool That Diagnoses Bladder Cancer Without Cutting Tissue

healthTestedTRL 5

Imagine going to the doctor for a bladder check and instead of cutting out a piece of tissue to send to a lab, the doctor shines a special laser light that sees twice as deep into your tissue as current tools — and gets results right there, in real time. That's what AMPLITUDE built: a compact imaging device using infrared lasers at wavelengths nobody had properly used before (around 1700 nm), which can tell healthy cells from cancerous ones without removing anything. It combines three different ways of "seeing" tissue — like having X-ray vision, a chemical detector, and a microscope all in one endoscope tip. The goal is to replace painful biopsies with instant, accurate optical diagnosis during a routine check-up.

By the numbers

EUR 4,486,750

EU funding for development

consortium partners

countries involved

SME partners in consortium

36%

industry ratio in consortium

1650-1870 nm

third bio-window wavelength range

1700 nm

ultrafast fibre laser operating wavelength

850 nm

second harmonic generation output

imaging depth improvement vs current technology

The business problem

What needed solving

Bladder cancer diagnosis currently requires cutting tissue samples during endoscopy, sending them to a pathology lab, and waiting days for results. This process is painful for patients, slow for doctors, and expensive for hospitals. There is no widely available tool that can diagnose, grade, and stage bladder tumours in real time during a routine endoscopic examination.

The solution

What was built

AMPLITUDE built a compact, multi-modal endoscopic imaging system combining confocal reflectance microscopy, multi-photon microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy — all powered by a new ultrafast fibre laser operating at 1700 nm. The system was demonstrated to clinicians at a workshop at the University of Florence, with 7 deliverables completed over the project's 5-year duration.

Audience

Who needs this

Endoscope manufacturers (Olympus, Karl Storz, Richard Wolf) looking to add diagnostic imaging capabilitiesUrology departments at major hospitals struggling with biopsy backlogs and delayed diagnosesUltrafast fibre laser companies seeking validated medical applications for their technologyPathology labs and digital pathology companies interested in real-time tissue analysis alternativesMedical device startups focused on point-of-care cancer diagnostics

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Medical device manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Endoscope and surgical imaging equipment manufacturers

If you are a medical device company building endoscopes or surgical visualization tools — AMPLITUDE developed a compact multi-modal imaging system that combines confocal microscopy, multi-photon imaging, and Raman spectroscopy into a single endoscope-compatible device. It operates at 1700 nm wavelength, achieving imaging at twice the depth of current systems. This could let you add real-time tissue diagnosis capability to your existing endoscopy product line without requiring separate biopsy workflows.

Urology and oncology clinics

any

Target: Hospital urology departments and private urology clinic chains

If you run a urology department dealing with bladder cancer screening backlogs — AMPLITUDE built a label-free optical biopsy tool that grades and stages bladder tumours during endoscopy, without cutting tissue. The system images at depths in the 1650-1870 nm bio-window range, providing morphological, metabolic, and molecular-level tissue data in real time. This could reduce the number of physical biopsies needed and speed up diagnosis from days to minutes.

Photonics and laser technology

SME

Target: Ultrafast fibre laser manufacturers and biophotonics component suppliers

If you are a laser company looking for new markets — AMPLITUDE advanced ultrafast fibre laser technology at 1700 nm with integrated second harmonic generation at 850 nm from a single device. The consortium of 11 partners across 7 countries validated this in a clinical demonstration workshop. This opens a commercial opportunity in the relatively unexplored 1650-1870 nm biophotonics wavelength range for your laser product catalogue.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt this imaging technology?

The project specifically aimed to deliver imaging capabilities 'at cost suitable for widespread adoption,' using compact fibre laser technology rather than expensive bulk laser systems. However, no specific per-unit pricing data is available from the project. Commercial pricing would depend on the manufacturer licensing or developing the technology further.

Can this scale to industrial production?

The technology is based on ultrafast fibre lasers, which are inherently more compact and manufacturable than traditional multi-photon laser systems. The consortium included 4 SMEs and 4 industry partners (36% industry ratio), suggesting manufacturing scalability was considered. However, as a medical device, it would need regulatory clearance before volume production.

What is the IP and licensing situation?

AMPLITUDE was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon 2020 with EUR 4,486,750 EU contribution across 11 partners. IP generated during the project is typically owned by the partners who created it. Interested companies should contact the coordinator (Tampere University, Finland) to discuss licensing options.

Has this been tested with real patients?

The project ran a demonstration workshop at UNIFI (University of Florence) with clinicians to showcase the endoscopic multi-modal imaging system. The objective explicitly mentions in-vivo endoscopic assessment, indicating the system was designed for and likely tested in clinical conditions. Based on available project data, full clinical trial results are not detailed in the deliverable descriptions.

What regulatory approvals would be needed?

As a medical diagnostic device for cancer detection, this would require CE marking under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and FDA clearance for the US market. The project focused on developing and demonstrating the technology; regulatory approval would be the next step for any company commercializing it.

How does this integrate with existing hospital equipment?

The system was designed as an endoscope-compatible tool, meaning it should work within existing urology endoscopy workflows. The compact fibre laser form factor was a deliberate design choice to make integration practical. The multi-modal approach (confocal + multi-photon + Raman) is combined into a single device rather than requiring separate instruments.

Consortium

Who built it

The AMPLITUDE consortium is well-structured for technology transfer with 11 partners across 7 countries (DE, ES, FI, HU, IT, TW, UK), providing broad geographic reach and diverse expertise. The 36% industry ratio with 4 SMEs alongside 4 universities and 3 research institutes shows a healthy balance between scientific development and commercial intent. The coordinator is Tampere University in Finland, a strong photonics research hub. The inclusion of partners from Taiwan alongside European members suggests ambitions beyond the EU market. With EUR 4,486,750 in funding over a 5-year period (2020-2024), and a clinical demonstration workshop already completed, the consortium has had substantial resources to mature the technology toward commercialization.

TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRCoordinator · FI
MODUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION LIMITEDparticipant · UK
FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE CIENCIES FOTONIQUESparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZEparticipant · IT
FEMTONICS KUTATO ES FEJLESZTO KORLATOLT FELELOSSEGU TARSASAGparticipant · HU
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEparticipant · IT
WEINERT Fiber Optics GmbHparticipant · DE
AMPLICONYX OYparticipant · FI
UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCAparticipant · IT
ASTON UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Tampere University (TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR), Finland — contact through SciTransfer for introduction

Order a report on this consortium See TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing or integration of this bladder cancer imaging technology? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the AMPLITUDE team and help evaluate the business fit for your company.

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