Distribution Agreement for Fluorescence In Vivo Imaging in Asia

(Woburn, MA, USA), a developer of fluorescence in vivo imaging systems, announced that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Olympus Corp. (Tokyo, Japan), covering sales of the company's fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) imaging systems and range of in vivo near infrared fluorescence imaging probes in Asia (South Korea, Singapore, China, and Taiwan).

This agreement is an expansion of an exclusive distribution agreement between the two companies covering Japan, which began in September 2006. Under the new agreement, Olympus will expand its sales territory of the VisEn products to include all major Asian markets. Olympus plans to commence sales of VisEn's systems in South Korea and Singapore in January 2007, followed by China and Taiwan thereafter.

VisEn's FMT imaging system provides robust imaging performance in identifying, characterizing, and quantifying a range of biomarkers in vivo, including known molecular activities underlying disease states such as cancer, inflammation, cardiovascular and bone disease. VisEn's range of biocompatible near-infrared fluorescence probes are specifically designed to enable a range of imaging readouts of key in vivo disease-associated biologic processes, including angiogenesis, protease activity, vascular permeability, inflammation, cell migration and tracking, and bone remodeling. VisEn's technologies are also designed for biocompatibility and translation from pre-clinical imaging into clinical imaging in the future.

The molecular imaging systems developed and marketed by Olympus are the OV100 in vivo imaging system, which can be used for a wide range of research, from full views of small animals to the cellular level, and the IV100 in vivo laser scanning microscope, which supports direct in vivo evaluation of small animals. By combining VisEn's FMT system and in vivo near infrared fluorescence probes with Olympus' OV100 and IV100 molecular imaging systems, researchers can generate an extraordinary range of molecular imaging data in vivo, from the cellular and tissue levels, to the true quantification of a diverse range of biologic and molecular processes, real time within the entire body.

Kirtland G. Poss, president and CEO of VisEn commented on the announcement, "Fluorescence imaging of biologic processes and molecular activities in vivo is playing an increasingly central role today from basic research through drug development, and into clinical medicine going forward. We are very pleased to expand our partnership with Olympus in these rapidly developing new areas, and expect these programs to bring our leading technology platforms to an even broader range of customers and partners.”



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