Jul 21 2007
Two innovative companies are partnering to enhance research and to discover therapies against grave diseases worldwide: Leica Microsystems (Wetzlar) and Mauna Kea Technologies (MKT) (Paris) signed an exclusive distribution agreement for the German high-tech optics company to market the innovative system developed by Mauna Kea Technologies.
Leica Microsystems thus extends its range of products to include an endoscopic confocal microscope for in-vivo research applications. The agreement covers Europe, North America and Japan. Cellvizio® as the system is called, will be adopted in Leica's product portfolio and marketed as Leica FCM1000 – for "Fiber Confocal Microscope".
Leica FCM1000 with Cellvizio ® technology is a fiber-optic confocal fluorescence microscope for dynamic in-vivo imaging. Thanks to its movable, minimally invasive probe, it can be introduced non-destructively into the insides of living animals, producing video image sequences at a rate of twelve frames per second. "There is a strongly increasing demand for in-vivo microscopy, to complement classical in-vitro studies, so this new product is the ideal addition to our portfolio of state of the art confocal microscopes," explains Leica's Executive VP Sales & Marketing David Martyr.
This small animal imaging solution is used in pre-clinical research in academic research institutions and biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies. Primarily conducted on rodents, these experiments play a key role in neurological research in deep brain and peripheral nerves imaging, especially in the research of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and in cancer, cardiovascular and stem cell research, gene delivery and tissue engineering.
Sacha Loiseau, President of Mauna Kea Technologies, explains: "We are extremely proud of this major agreement between Mauna Kea Technologies and the prestigious company Leica Microsystems. It tangibly recognizes MKT's innovative R&D and leadership in non-invasive cellular and molecular imaging solutions. This achievement is the result of MKT's effort to gather the best team of scientists and engineers to develop new imaging technologies that are perfectly adapted to customer needs. The commercial agreement with Leica Microsystems will make it possible for thousands of researchers worldwide to benefit from the breakthroughs offered by Leica FCM1000 with Cellvizio ® technology."