Neoprobe Corp. (NYSE Amex:NEOP) reached an agreement to license an imaging technology patent from San Diego-based Naviscan Inc.
Dublin, Ohio-based Neoprobe will use Naviscan’s technology in conjunction with its own gamma-detection systems, which are used to evaluate the potential spread of cancer to lymph node tissues and organs, according to a prepared statement Naviscan.
The combined technology will translate gamma data into a 3-D image of a gamma-emitting source, such as a malignant lesion or tumor that has been injected with a radioactive tracing agent. The technology could enable surgeons to more precisely target cancerous lymph nodes for removal, Naviscan said.
"We believe the three-dimensional gamma imaging technology from Naviscan is a natural extension of our current line of gamma-detection devices and enhances the opportunities in this technology category," Neoprobe’s chief development officer Mark Pykett said in prepared remarks.
Pykett said Naviscan’s technology could lead to new applications for products Neoprobe is developing: Lymphoseek, a radio-pharmaceutical tracing agent that identifies cancerous lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer and melanoma, and RIGScan, a similar agent that would be used in colorectal cancer surgeries.
Lymphoseek could be on the market as soon as the end of this year, but RIGScan is several years away.
