Verisante Technology, a provider of systems for the early detection of cancer, has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Perceptronix Medical (PMI) under which Verisante has rights to PMI's ClearVu and ClearVu Elite endoscopy systems which are used to detect early lung cancer.
The ClearVu system is a simultaneous white light and fluorescence real time video accessory which is used with a fiberoptic bronchoscope for lung cancer examinations.
The ClearVu Elite has the addition of reflectance and fluorescence spectral analysis to assess the malignancy potential of suspicious lesions.
PMI’s technology is complementary to the Verisante Core which uses rapid Raman spectral analysis for the detection of lung cancer.
The Verisante Core and ClearVu technologies are extensible to the detection of gastro intestinal tract cancers including colorectal cancer and cervical cancer for which Verisante also has the rights.
The Verisante Core is already the subject of a funded clinical study for early lung cancer detection in which the first 50 patients have been tested with encouraging results at BC Cancer Agency.
Included in the acquisition is a portfolio of 12 international patents, rights to 5 additional patents jointly owned with the BC Cancer Agency, trade marks, data from a multi-site clinical study, 5 ClearVu Elite Research Systems, one ClearVu bench top prototype, and other bronchoscopic and research related equipment for the detection of lung cancer.
Verisante CEO Thomas Braun said the majority of hospitals still need the visualization capability of the ClearVu system to find suspicious lesions and then the rapid Raman spectroscopy to determine if they are malignant and should be biopsied.
"With either the Core alone, or ClearVu and Core combined, we now have the potential to offer a solution customized for the different types of endoscopes that hospitals already have in use," Braun said.