Optoacoustic Technology for Early Cancer Detection

According to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, prostate cancer is diagnosed every two-and-a-quarter minutes with over 234,460 new cases expected in 2006. Although deaths from prostate cancer are down nearly 10 percent from 2005, an estimated 27,350 American men will lose their lives to prostate cancer in 2006.

Hybrid Imaging Technology

The imaging system uses laser light to create contrast between normal and cancerous tissues, and laser-induced ultrasonic waves to carry diagnostic information. This hybrid technology is the only medical imaging technology with the potential to differentiate between malignant and benign tumors based on blood concentration and the oxygenation state of blood in the tumor, as well as to visualize them with high resolution (smaller than 1 mm) at tissue depths of up to 60 millimeters (~2.5 inches). Ongoing patient testing at UTMB under the direction of Tuenchit Khamapirad, M.D. has demonstrated the device’s capability to detect breast tumors in more than 20 patients.

Higher contrast and image definition is produced by using NOCA (Nanoparticulate Optoacoustic Contrast Agent) in combination with the imaging system. The NOCA technology binds gold nanorods -- with properties of optical absorption more than 1,000 times stronger than any organic molecule -- to antibodies against breast cancer-specific receptors, making it possible for the average cancerous tissue with only 10 nanorods per cell to become detectable relative to normal tissue. NOCA flows in the blood stream until it finds a specific molecule-receptor in the tumor; then it binds to the abnormal cells and, after being activated by laser light pulses of specific colors, sends a signal showing the location of the cancer. The nanoparticles may also contribute to the cancer cell’s death by becoming delivery vehicles for targeted anticancer drugs and for heat receptors for minimally invasive light-activated therapy.

Previous development work on optoacoustics and the imaging system has been funded by Fairway and by grants totaling over $3 million from the National Institutes of Health and the US Army’s Breast Cancer Research Program.

Privately held Fairway, which has more than doubled its manufacturing and research capacity in the past 24 months, develops and commercializes products based on proprietary or licensed technologies, and provides contract development and manufacturing services for outside clients. A portfolio company of BCM Technologies, the venture capital subsidiary of Baylor College of Medicine, Fairway has close relationships with most of the research institutions located in the Texas Medical Center, and has successfully orchestrated the design, development and manufacturing of scores of medical products, including FDA Class III (life supporting) devices.