Lumitron Technologies secured another $20M in funding to expand its manufacturing and commercialization capabilities as it works its way to a $1B-plus IPO and the launch of what it calls the biggest breakthrough in the history of X-ray technology.
Lumitron’s HyperVIEW EBCS imaging system boasts 100x greater image resolution and 100x lower radiation exposure than CT, while matching the size and price tag of a current higher-end CT scanner.
- The HyperVIEW EBCS’ ability to image at the cellular level could also support next-gen “flash radiotherapies” that directly target cancerous cells.
Lumitron is clearly bullish about its HyperVIEW EBCS scanner, forecasting that it will be used in “every aspect of medicine” and an array of industrial applications.
- The HyperVIEW’s rollout schedule is equally ambitious, targeting use at research universities and hospitals within the next year and clinical readiness within just two years.
Skeptics might find plenty of reasons to question whether Lumitron can actually achieve these lofty goals. For starters, Lumitron lists just four employees on LinkedIn, the general public has only seen artistic renderings of the HyperVIEW scanner, and launching a completely new modality might be one of the most challenging acts in the business of medical imaging.
- However, Lumitron also comes with plenty of credibility. The company was founded by well-established medtech and research leaders, its technology was developed at the famous Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and it now has $20M to fund its next steps.
The Takeaway
We cover groundbreaking new imaging technologies all the time, but it’s exceptionally rare for those technologies to actually approach commercialization, especially from a relatively unknown company.
Because of that lack of precedence, hospitals will need to see a ton of evidence before they start making room for their new HyperVIEW scanners. However, if they truly outperform modern CTs by 100x (with the same price and footprint), the Lumitron HyperVIEW might actually prove to be the biggest breakthrough in the history of X-ray.
