Zenalux Partners with Tulane University

DURHAM, N.C. - Jan. 23, 2014 - PRLog -- DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 23, 2014 – Zenalux Biomedical, Inc., a biomedical diagnostics company, has further expanded its Research Partnership Program through collaboration with Tulane University. Researchers at Tulane are utilizing the Zenascope™ system to monitor renal ischemia during partial nephrectomy in large animal models, and to monitor physiological changes in tissue in response to investigational therapeutics in cancer and regenerative medicine.

Damir Khismatullin, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tulane University, commented: “We have used the Zenascope to monitor tumor response to an investigational cancer therapy.  The ability of the system to provide rapid feedback and its ease-of-use have allowed us to track tissue oxygenation in individual animals over time, and has provided another set of useful endpoints for our work.”  This work was presented at the World Congress of Endourology in October.

Researchers at the Tulane University School of Medicine are also deploying the Zenascope system to monitor histological and physiological changes in wounded tissues in response to investigational regenerative therapies.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with yet another prestigious institution through our Research Partnership Program,” said Dr. Jesko von Windheim, CEO of Zenalux. “We are very pleased that this research partnership provides us with additional application paths for the Zenascope, and we look forward to detailing the findings of the studies in the near future.”

The Zenascope PC1, an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer that achieves quantitative optical spectroscopy in turbid media, uses standard spectroscopic measurement hardware, proprietary software, and patented algorithms to achieve rapid, quantitative, and non-destructive analysis of biological tissue characteristics (biomarkers) that reflect the underlying function and composition of biological tissue.

The specialized, real-time, diagnostic device shines white light on opaque target media, and then measures and analyzes the reflected signal. The system achieves rapid, quantitative, and non-destructive analysis of the following biological endpoints: oxy-hemoglobin concentration ([HBO2]); deoxy-hemoglobin concentration ([HHb]); total hemoglobin concentration (THC); blood saturation (SO2); and scatterer size and density.

Additional applications for the Zenascope™ system include accelerating feedback in drug discovery; breast tumor margin assessment; assessment of response to cancer therapy; and screening and diagnostic applications in breast, cervical, and head and neck cancer.

Zenascope is currently designated for investigational purposes only. Interested organizations can contact Zenalux at info@zenalux.com or 919-794-5757 x504.

About Zenalux Biomedical, Inc.

Zenalux Biomedical is a biomedical diagnostics start-up company that is developing novel biophotonic-based tools to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer as well as other disease states. The company has established its leadership in biophotonics through its deep ties to Duke University. The company’s flagship product is the Zenascope, a patent-protected, photonic system that non-destructively measures dominant tissue chromophores (such as oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin and beta-carotene) as well as changes in cellular morphology and density. Applications areas currently under study include:  accelerating feedback in drug discovery, breast tumor margin assessment, breast biopsy, and cervical cancer and head and neck cancer detection. Zenalux Biomedical is based in Durham, N.C. Visit www.zenalux.com.

Keywords: Zenalux, Tulane University, Zenascope™, PC1, biomedical, biophotonics, pre-clinical, in vivo, ex vivo, renal ischemia, cancer, research