Thursday, January 13, 2011

Clarification T-Ray Sciences using multi-spectral imaging rather than THz

Normal cancer cell division from NIHImage via Wikipedia
I have learned that the device that “T-Ray Sciences” is marketing is not a THz device. I am not technically astute, so I appreciated learning from a third party that   the  company was initally looking at THz, but found that in the medical field, THz, was too far away from commercialization, so they moved to multi-spectral imaging as a technology, adopting the work of the group at BCCA.  They have kept the name, but the technology has changed. I think it's important that I get the facts straight, and if there are additional comments or clarifications, please share them with me. It's still an exciting advance in cancer diagnostics.

Two years ago T-Ray was developing its own cancer detection device using far-infrared spectroscopy. Its X-ray-like imaging technology scanned and imaged moles or suspicious lesions on the body in minutes.
“We were … trying to get our speeds up so that we could fit [the device] into the patient process flow in a doctor’s office or a hospital,” said Thomas Braun, T-Ray’s CEO.
But the firm soon found that the BCCA was years ahead of it in developing a similar device. Zeng had refined the agency’s far-infrared spectroscopy technology to the point where scanning and imaging took less than half a second.
As well, the BCCA had already done clinical studies on more than 1,000 lesions. It was therefore much further ahead in the regulatory process than T-Ray. As T-Ray takes care of the business side of product commercialization – financing, marketing and jumping through regulatory hoops – it’s relying on the BCCA, through a collaboration deal, to conduct further clinical studies and continue to refine the Verisante Core into a more compact and user-friendly device.
http://www.t-rayscience.com/news/36/t-ray-science-featured-in-business-in-vancouver/
Vancouver-based medical device company T-Ray Science Inc. has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with the BC Cancer Agency for patent rights to a non-invasive skin cancer detection device it says will not only help the agency’s efforts in skin cancer diagnosis and treatment, but sharply increase the company’s bottom line.
According to Walker, the technology scans a mole or lesion through spectral imaging to determine if it’s cancerous.
Under the terms of the agreement, T-Ray gains an exclusive worldwide right to use and sublicense BCCA’s skin cancer detection technology; and to manufacture, distribute and sell products based on the licensed technology. In return, T-Ray pays BCCA an initial licensing fee, a royalty on sales, and an annual license maintenance fee.
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Vancouver+Science+links+with+agency+skin+cancer+testing+device/3268753/story.html#ixzz1AvHJvn7S
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