iThera Medical was founded in 2010, as a spin-off from the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, the German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU). They develop advanced optoacoustic technology for use in preclinical and clinical applications.

The innovative nature of the MSOT technology (Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography) is its capability for volumetric, quantitative differentiation of tissue, in vivo and in real time, with and without the application of contrast agents. With such technology, iThera Medical offers the only optoacoustic imaging system with real-time whole-body imaging capability. This powerful tool for preclinical small animal imaging introduces a new standard into preclinical research.

Biological processes and the effect of pharmacological substances can be observed in vivo, in deep tissue, in real time, and in high resolution.

Endogenous chromophores as well as extrinsically administered probes can be differentiated from tissue background by tuning the excitation laser wavelength, collecting the optoacoustic signal acquired at multiple wavelengths and performing spectral unmixing.

·Single-wavelength optoacoustic imaging at 10 Hz frame rate

·Real-time spectral component visualization at up to 10 Hz frame rate

·Co-registered reflection-mode ultrasound computed tomography (R-UCT) imaging for MSOT inVision 512-echo

·Penetration depth of 2-4 cm, sufficient for whole-body small animal imaging

·Cross-sectional spatial in-plane resolution: 150 μm

·High-energy / fast-tunable laser system (100 mJ / 10 ms)

·Tomographic ultrasound detector array with 64/128/256/512 elements

·Image acquisition fully automated

·Data post-processing suite for spectral and temporal analysis

High-resolution visualization of superficial microvasculature is critical for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of diseases like skin cancers, tumor angiogenesis and vascular disease. Conventional imaging modalities are able to assess microvasculature only with the help of contrast agents or invasive techniques. Raster-scanning optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) utilizes laser excitation and high-frequency acoustic detection, thereby providing intrinsic optical tissue contrast, with up to 10 μm resolution, at several millimeters depth.

iThera Medical has developed RSOM imaging systems for explorative preclinical and clinical use. Clinically, RSOM can be utilized to detect diseases in which irregular accumulation of hemoglobin or melanin is involved, at mesoscopic scales. Preclinically, RSOM can additionally be used to resolve the presence of molecular probes.

·Axial / lateral resolution: up to 10 / 40 µm

·Penetration depth: up to 3 mm

·80 seconds acquisition time for 5 x 5 mm field of view

·Pulsed laser illumination at 532 nm (multispectral launching soon)

·50 MHz single-element detector with ultra-wide bandwidth (>90 percent)

·Image acquisition fully automated

·Software for image reconstrution, visualization and analysis