Olympus (TYO:7733) said late last week that it inked a co-development partnership with the University of Southern California looking to advance multiscale research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment through the use of precision medicine.

The deal is a first for the university and the company, Olympus said, adding that it hopes that the personalized treatments that emerge from the partnership will advance cancer research and “potentially improve the precision of patient diagnosis and treatment.”

“Olympus is honored to provide the optical tools used to capture the breadth of what’s happening in patients and transforming cancer medicine. Our deep experience and capabilities in both microscopy and medical technology businesses position us to lead the charge in the fight against cancer. We are excited to partner in the co-development of technology with the hope of translating these innovations to healthier, safer, and more fulfilling lives for people around the world,” Olympus Corp of the Americas scientific solutions group prez Julien Sauvagnargues said in prepared remarks.

Through the partnership, Olympus will work with USC’s Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine and the Translational Imaging Center, the company said.

The partnership will be guided by biomedical entrepreneur Dr. David Agus and optical and imaging researcher Scott Fraser, and will aim to develop new technologies to enable 3D and 4D imaging of single cells, organoids and tumor ecosystems.

“Cancer medicine is at a crossroads. Molecular research has shown that hundreds of genes and proteins are involved, making it difficult to envision how genetic approaches and standard treatments will cure cancer. Because of this, USC and Olympus have assembled a powerful team of translational researchers, clinicians and technologists to advance diagnostic capabilities toward precision medicine,” Dr. Agus said in a prepared statement.

“Our partnership with Olympus is accelerating our capacities to develop and advance bioimaging technologies, helping us to create the next-generation tools needed to accelerate translational research and, ultimately, benefiting patients sooner and widening the horizons of multiscale imaging,” Dr. Fraser said in a prepared release.

“Life happens in 3D, and the USC-Olympus Innovation Partnership in multiscale bioimaging brings Olympus expertise in 3D imaging and our extensive track record in the GI space together with USC’s multidimensional approach to precision medicine. We couldn’t be more excited to be working with such visionaries in the fight against cancer,” Olympus Corp of the Americas medical systems group prez Randy Clark said in a press release.

Earlier this month, Olympus released its plan to rejigger its medical device business with an eye toward gaining share in the U.S. market.