Imagine a camera that doesn't just see colors, but measures how long a glow lasts to tell the difference between healthy and sick tissue. It's like using a high-speed stopwatch for light to see things that are normally invisible to a surgeon. This helps doctors pinpoint exactly where a tumor ends and healthy organ begins during an operation.
Surgeons often struggle to distinguish between malignant and healthy tissue in real-time, leading to imprecise resection margins. Current imaging lacks the contrast to monitor physiological parameters like oxygenation and pH during surgery.
A time-domain fluorescence imaging system including two types of sensors (CAPS and CA-SPAD), specialized azaBODIPY fluorescent dyes, and processing algorithms.
If you are a surgical imaging provider dealing with imprecise tumor margins — this project developed a time-domain fluorescence imaging system that distinguishes true fluorescence from background signals to improve resection accuracy.
If you are a biotech firm dealing with short-lived diagnostic dyes — this project developed biocompatible azaBODIPY fluorescent contrast agents with extended lifetimes for deeper tissue monitoring.
If you are an endoscopy manufacturer dealing with limited visibility of atherosclerotic lesions — this project developed a CA-SPAD sensor and camera that enables real-time monitoring of pH and oxygenation in intravascular procedures.
Based on available project data, specific unit costs or pricing models are not provided; however, the project received an EU contribution of EUR 2,999,300 for development.
The project focuses on developing semiconductor image sensors and mathematical algorithms, which are scalable components, but it is currently in the proof-of-concept phase.
Based on available project data, there is no specific mention of patents or licensing agreements, though the project involves 5 partners across 5 countries developing proprietary sensors and dyes.
The system is designed for in situ planning of resection lines and can be applied in endoscopic or intravascular procedures to provide immediate feedback during interventions.
The project period runs from 2022-10-01 to 2026-09-30, suggesting that the breakthrough phase and final demonstrations occur toward the end of this window.
The consortium is heavily academic, consisting of 4 universities and 1 research organization across 5 countries. With a 0% industry ratio, the project is currently driven by scientific discovery and technical validation rather than immediate commercialization, which may necessitate the introduction of industrial partners for the transition to market.
Contact Vrije Universiteit Brussel regarding the tdFLI imaging platform.
Contact us to identify industrial partners for the commercialization of tdFLI sensors.
