Imaging device Specialist NinePoint Medical, Inc., has completed a $34 million Series B financing which it says will support the ongoing commercial launch of the NvisionVLE Imaging System in the U.S., as well as development of the company’s expanded product offering.
Background
NinePoint Medical Inc., describes itself as an emerging leader in the development of medical devices for advanced optical imaging. Its newly announced finance package was led by Corning Incorporated, along with founding investors Third Rock Ventures and Prospect Venture Partners. The company also announced the addition of three new members to its board of directors: Curt Weinstein from Corning, and independent directors Tom Miller and Mark Stautberg.
The company’s proprietary NvisionVLE Imaging System enables physicians and pathologists to endoscopically view real-time, high-resolution, volumetric images of organs and tissues up to 3mm deep at better than 10 micron resolution. Utilizing an advanced form of Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) also known as OFDI (optical frequency-domain imaging), NvisionVLE provides treating physicians and pathologists with cross-sectional, volumetric digital images of a patient’s organ – including below the surface of the tissue, over very large areas. This imaging information can be used to aid clinician decision-making relative to biopsy placement or treatment planning.
The NvisionVLE Imaging System is indicated for use as an imaging tool in the evaluation of human tissue microstructure, including esophageal tissue microstructure, by providing two-dimensional, cross-sectional, real-time depth visualization. The safety and effectiveness of this device for diagnostic analysis (i.e. differentiating normal versus specific abnormalities) in any tissue microstructure or specific disease has not been evaluated.
Originally developed at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), NinePoint licensed the imaging technology from MGH in 2010 as part of the largest intellectual property agreement for medical device technology in the hospital’s history. The NvisionVLE Imaging System enables physicians and pathologists to endoscopically view, for the first time, real-time, high-resolution, cross sectional images of organs and tissues up to 3mm deep at better than 10 micron resolution.
Company comments
“The NvisionVLE Imaging System is an exciting new imaging technology that is enabling physicians to visualize esophageal abnormalities at and below the mucosal surface, helping inform clinical decision-making,” said Charles S. Carignan, M.D., president and CEO of NinePoint Medical. “With new hospitals adopting the technology every month, and with the support of our investors and strategic guidance of our board, we can continue to expand our sales force to facilitate the adoption of NvisionVLE at more centers. Hospitals from New England, to Florida, to California are already offering this advanced imaging technology. We will continue to build out our operational capacity to meet the increasing demand for our products, while also working on new features and product offerings for the future.”
Source: NinePoint Medical, Inc., Business Wire
published: March 20, 2014 in: Company News, Financial, Imaging, Launches / Withdrawals