Studies Show Cephalogics’ Compact Perfusion Imaging System Can ID, Track Brain Perfusion Deficits

Cephalogics has announced study results from two in-vivo studies that demonstrated the imaging capability of the company’s compact portable non-invasive brain perfusion imaging system to identify and track perfusion deficits in humans and pigs. The first study demonstrated the system’s ability to detect and measure perfusion deficits caused by vasoconstriction in human and porcine subjects induced by hyperventilation. The second study was performed at Tufts Medical Center Animal Lab and demonstrated the ability to measure perfusion deficits induced by occluding cerebral vessels in a healthy porcine brain, which were confirmed by angiography.
 
“This is an exciting development for a new non-invasive optical technology that would be very useful for optimizing clinical management of cerebral perfusion in the neurocritical care setting,” said Adel Malek, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurosurgery at Tufts University School of Medicine and chief of neurovascular surgery at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Mass.
 
Cephalogics presented two abstracts from these recent studies at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) last week in National Harbor, Md. These presentations showcased the capabilities of the Cephalogics system to the medical community through demonstrations with clinical applications. The system is designed to provide continuous bedside brain perfusion imaging of patients suffering from stroke or severe traumatic brain injury, giving clinicians access to information that can help them quickly identify and treat perfusion deficits in order to avoid ischemia and associated adverse outcomes.
 
“Sharing these exciting in-vivo results with clinicians at the Neurocritical Care Society meeting marks an important step forward for Cephalogics,” said Jeff Caputo, general manager of Cephalogics. “These results bring us closer to achieving our mission to give clinicians the accurate, actionable information they need to quickly detect perfusion deficits and facilitate early interventions.”
 
Cephalogics’ imaging system utilizes diffuse optical tomography (DOT) to provide bedside brain perfusion imaging of multiple large cerebrovascular regions within a patient’s brain. The system’s sensors consist of compact, high-density arrays with numerous near infrared (NIR) light sources and detectors to provide hundreds of simultaneous spatially resolved measurements per region. These measurements are then processed to produce regional maps of the oxygen saturation in cerebral tissue. Each sensor array covers a cerebrovascular area of approximately 2 in. by 4 in.
 
“The oxygenation maps presented in these studies showcase our ability to measure induced cerebral perfusion deficits in-vivo,” said Bertan Hallacoglu, Ph.D., research and development scientist at Cephalogics. “We are excited to continue testing our methods in vivo and look forward to sharing results from patient testing in the future.”
 
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and along with severe traumatic brain injuries results in billions of dollars spent on healthcare each year. Current methods used to monitor patients and assess oxygen saturation in the brain are typically invasive, focal or require transport from a patient’s room. This inability to quickly assess brain perfusion at the bedside can raise the risk of ischemia and associated adverse outcomes in brain-injured patients. Cephalogics aims to provide clinicians with a compact, portable, and easy-to-use brain perfusion imaging system to help avoid ischemia and its associated adverse outcomes.
 
Cephalogics is developing a non-invasive, portable brain perfusion imaging system that is designed to provide clinicians with critical information for detecting and treating perfusion deficits and avoiding ischemia in brain-injured patients. The system is designed to “see” the brain through hair, skin and skull, mapping oxygen saturation in the brain and help to facilitate early interventions, improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Cephalogics’ system utilizes DOT to provide bedside imaging of multiple cerebrovascular regions within a patient’s brain. The system’s sensors consist of compact, high-density arrays with numerous near infrared laser light sources and detectors to provide hundreds of simultaneous spatially resolved measurements per region. These measurements are processed in real time to produce regional maps of the oxygen saturation in cerebral tissue. Each sensor array covers a cerebrovascular area of approximately 40cm². Cephalogics is developing and commercializing an imaging system based on technology invented by Dr. Joseph P. Culver, a professor at Washington University and a leading researcher in the field of DOT.