Our Technology ► Summary of Technologies

Spectros Core Technologies

Spectros has over 70 patents... developed internally or in-licensed for molecular sensing. Spectros core technologies center on multiple core technology families , and on four key medical product areas.

Based on these technologies and devices, Spectros develops, markets, and licenses a number of products, as well as OEM components and devices, including medical devices both under study and on the market. Because licensing is a key part of what we do, Spectros aggressively defends its technologies and products against infringement. Click here to learn more about our patents.

Key Technology Innovations

Core technology innovations are listed below :

     ►  Broadband Spectroscopy Light Source

Spectros founders began tissue spectroscopy in the 1980's. In the 1990's they developed a series of high-efficiency, low-thermal transfer methods of broadband illuminators, which have been incorporated into commercial products internal and under license. These devices can be incorporated into spectroscopy equipment, lab-on-chip devices, spectrometers, fluorimeters, oximeters, and the like. For example, see examples of Spectros' broadband illuminator patent or broadband oximeter patent.

     ►  Multispectral Pulse Oximetry and Blood Spectrophotometry

Spectros founders developed broadband tissue and pulse oximetry devices and methods. In pulse oximetry, Spectros was the first to demonstrate broadband pulse oximetry, based on work in the late 1980's and early 1990's. For example, see Spectros' Broadband Pulse Oximetry and CO-oximetry patent.

Key Medical Product Areas

The four key medical areas are:

   ►  Ischemia Detection

Spectros' flagship T-Stat® product was the first device labeled by the U.S. FDA as "sensitive to ischemia", a condition in which tissues receive insufficient blood flow. An absence of oxygen delivery to tissue is the central common event in nearly all cases of death. Ischemia is the major cause of death from heart disease, stroke, organ failure, and infection.

     ►  Cancer Detection and Imaging, with or without contrast agent

Spectros is developing devices to detect breast cancer, in collaboration with University of California, NIT, and the University of Pennsylvania, under FirstScan, a Spectros affiliate. The FirstScan-ix ("ix" stands for index) is now in limited production for research use.

     ►  Automated Tissue Classification for Surgical Guidance

Acquired during acquisition of Sextant Medical, these applications have been out-licensed for use in making surgical tools smarter. Applications include surgical staplers, hyper-thermal ablation, and probe positioning.

     ►  Implantable Physiology Monitoring Using Devices and Nanobots

The next generation of physiology monitors, which record cardiac and pulmonary performance with the same type of information previously available to physicians for patients in intensive care. These implantable and injectable devices will be key to personalized health care for cardiac and pulmonary disease in the next decade.