Tomophase Awarded Eighth Patent: Mapping Physiological Functions of Tissues in Lungs and Other Organs

BURLINGTON, Mass., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomophase Corporation, developer of the non-invasive Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging System (OCTIS) and other devices, announced today that it has received notification of the issuance of its eighth patent: Mapping physiological functions of tissues in lungs and other organs, U.S. Patent # 7,831,298.

The new patent describes a novel method for measuring blood in the lungs at two different wavelengths. Measuring blood at different spectral bands will allow optical differentiation of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood. This new technology will be accomplished with the OCT Imaging System, which includes an imaging console and disposable, single-use, fiber optic catheter.

Tomophase is a leader in developing bronchoscopic-based systems for interventional pulmonology. Initially OCTIS will be deployed for tissue imaging of airways and lungs, followed by diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The company has 19 additional patent applications pending.

OCTIS is currently for experimental use only and not cleared by the FDA for patient use. The company is currently pursuing FDA regulatory clearance.

“We are pleased to receive this patent which we believe will increase the utility of OCTIS as a new tool in the armamentarium for interventional pulmonologists. Our company is committed to providing new, innovative medical imaging products to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the lung and airways including asthma, emphysema and lung cancer,” said Ralph Johnston, President and COO.

Dr. Peter Norris, Chairman and CEO, added, “This new patent will continue to move us forward in the development of technology for interventional pulmonology, heretofore a greatly underserved market. We plan to consistently expand our system’s capabilities in order to maximize the potential of safe, efficient, optical energy to image, diagnose and treat disease.”

About Tomophase

Tomophase Corporation is a privately held opto-medical device company with a proprietary position in real-time, high-resolution, cross-sectional tissue imaging using a variant of OCT. The company is engaged in the research and development of sophisticated fiber-optic catheters and imaging engines, used in conjunction with bronchoscopy, and initially focused on Interventional Pulmonology applications. The OCTIS cross-sectional tissue imaging system is capable of imaging microstructure 2-3 mm below the surface of the airways and lungs to provide valuable visualization information to the physician in the management of pulmonary diseases. Examples of our tissue imaging results are available at http://www.tomophase.com.

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SOURCE Tomophase Corporation