publication date: Jul 16, 2012
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author/source: Frost & Sullivan
Application scope set to expand rapidly from
current base of ophthalmology, cardiology, neurology and gastroenterology
Current optical imaging technologies provide
reproducible, accurate, objective, quantitative assessments of tissue
structures. As the marked progress in optical imaging techniques observed in
recent years is instigating a new wave of business opportunities, there are
still areas to improve.
Analysis from Frost & Sullivan's
Emerging Trends in Optical Imaging Techniques for Drug
Discovery, Clinical Diagnostics and Molecular Imaging research finds that optical imaging at both the
macroscopic and microscopic levels is being used intensively by clinicians for
diagnosis and treatment-specific applications. Novel advances in optics, data
acquisition methods, and image processing software have driven the development
of optical imaging technologies, all of which can be used to image tissues and
other biological entities with enhanced contrast and resolution capabilities.
"Technology trends are moving from conventional
confocal microscopy to optical coherence tomography (OCT), with the adoption of
newer technologies such as adaptive optics and polarization imaging in
ophthalmology," said Technical Insights Senior Research Analyst Prasanna Vadhana
Kannan. "Several start-ups are developing innovative
technologies, most of which are in the near completion and advanced phases of
clinical approval in the optical imaging market."
OCT has gained much multidisciplinary research
interest in recent years as a non-invasive optical imaging technique that can
be used to perform cross-sectional in-situ imaging of microstructures in
biological tissues. With OCT technology showing rapid progress, it is believed
that many commercial devices addressing a plethora of clinical applications
could hit the market over the next four to five years.
"OCT is
truly an easy-to-use modality that provides digital cellular 2-D and 3-D
imaging solutions for clinical and research pathology lab application needs on
fixed or fresh tissue," said Prasanna Kannan. "Further refinement could result
in achieving significantly higher resolution capabilities and better
differentiation of cancerous lesions, embryology studies, and stem cells
(involving therapeutics research)."
However,
the restricted availability of validated imaging parameters and low end-user
awareness could limit the use of optical imaging technologies in
research-specific applications. Moreover, the scope for alternative techniques
usage and their strong presence (involving digital radiography, nuclear imaging
techniques, and hybrid imaging) is likely to deter manufacturers from investing
substantially in the development of novel optical imaging methods.
"From
a technical standpoint, the key challenge is to address issues related to
frozen sections arising from tissue processing steps," said Prasanna Kannan.
"This often results in freezing artifacts, which causes physical destruction of
the structural integrity of tissues."
Despite such
challenges, multi-modality imaging using optical imaging principles is helping
drive the development of novel therapeutics and changing the course of patient
management in debilitating disease care.
If you are interested in more information on this
research, please send an email to Janique Morvan,
Corporate Communications, at
janique.morvan@frost.com, with your full contact details.
Emerging
Trends in Optical Imaging Techniques for Drug Discovery, Clinical Diagnostics
and Molecular Imaging is part of the Technical
Insights subscription which
also includes research on key optical imaging segments,
consisting of optical coherence tomography, hyperspectral imaging, and
near-infrared spectroscopy analyses. Further, this
research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends
evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
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