SpectraScience, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SCIE), a San Diego based medical device company, today announced that it has been awarded Japanese Patent number 4361683 for its Optical Biopsy Forceps System and Method of Sampling Tissue.
Jim Hitchin, SpectraScience's CEO, commented, "This patent is another important addition to our expanding intellectual property portfolio. We now have 60 issued or pending patents across our WavSTAT® Optical Biopsy and LUMA® Cervical Imaging System products and believe this is another important and critical component of our strategy to enhance the value of our business and benefit our shareholders."
The invention provides for an optical lumen or lumens that are placed coaxially with the cutting jaws of a biopsy forcep. This allows for an optical reading to be taken from the exact same spot as a physical tissue sample. When used with the WavSTAT Optical Biopsy System, it becomes a diagnostic tool to detect pre-cancer and cancer as well as a therapeutic tool for removal of suspect tissue. If necessary, the fiber optic can be easily removed so that other tools such as a cytology brush can be inserted coaxially.
Hitchin added, "We remain committed to the concept that accurate data acquisition and fast non-invasive diagnostic techniques are critical for earlier and more effective identification of normal, pre-cancerous or cancerous tissue. This is another SpectraScience invention that will make our screening devices more useful to the physician and, more importantly, more effective for the patient."
SpectraScience holds approximately 60 patents worldwide that have been issued or are pending for its WavSTAT Optical Biopsy and LUMA Cervical Imaging Systems. These non-invasive optical devices are used to diagnose tissue quickly to determine if it is normal, pre-cancerous, or cancerous. The WavSTAT and LUMA Systems are currently approved by the FDA for detecting pre-cancerous and cancerous tissue in the colon and cervix, respectively. An evaluation of the WavSTAT for detection of pre-cancers in the throat ("Barrett's esophagus") is being tested.
Progress in early detection and screening methods for pancreatic cancer