NinePoint Medical Inc. entered into a licensing deal with Mass. General Hospital for 188 patents and patent applications owned by the institution.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company plans to incorporate the intellectual property into its high-resolution optical imaging platform, an optical coherence tomography-based technology called optical frequency domain imaging for a family of devices for use in cancer detection for the GI tract, according to the company.

"High quality images provided by optical frequency domain imaging, or OFDI, may one day enable physicians to implement routine, less invasive screening procedures for high-risk patients," MGH researcher and co-developer of the technology Dr. Gary Tearney said in prepared remarks.

NinePoint designed the in vivo technology to enable real-time review of advanced tissue images during biopsies and other procedures. The aim is to eventually allow gastroenterologists to diagnose and treat cancerous or otherwise suspicious cells during a single procedure. The company raised $33 million in a Series A round in October to support the development of the technology.

The company said the deal with MGH is the largest IP licensing agreement for medical devices in Mass. General Hospital history.