Edinburgh Molecular Imaging (EM Imaging) and Mauna Kea Technologies are collaborating to research the potential of combining EM Imaging's in vivo optical imaging agents and Mauna Kea's confocal laser endomicroscopy platform to diagnose cancer.
The combination of molecular imaging agents and advanced visualization such as endomicroscopy is a promising avenue for advancing personalized cancer diagnosis, the firms said.
In one study, EM Imaging will supply EMI-137, a clinical-grade investigational molecular optical imaging agent, to two investigational sites to perform clinical efficacy studies for pancreatic and lung cancers. The Edinburgh Royal Infirmary will evaluate suspected lung cancer patients, while Groningen Medical Center in the Netherlands will study EMI-137 in early-stage pancreatic cancer. Both centers will image EMI-137 in real-time at the cellular level using endomicroscopy with Cellvizio.
In a second study, EM Imaging will provide EMI-200, a neutrophil-targeting optical molecular imaging agent developed for topical administration in the lung. The presence of neutrophils in the lung is correlated with an inflammatory response, and as such is clinically useful in the acute-care setting to improve diagnosis of critically ill patients, the firms said. Exams will be performed at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio in acute-care patients, and the Cellvizio platform will be used to image neutrophil activity in real-time at the cellular level.
