Redefining the Edges of Cancer by Making the Invisible Visible
We combine advanced optical imaging, AI-driven tissue classification, and seamless surgical integration to redefine how tumors are detected, delineated, and removed.
We are pioneering real-time optical fingerprinting to detect tumor tissue that is invisible to the human eye and conventional imaging — starting in the brain, with a platform designed to scale across oncology.
captures and interprets these signatures in real time, transforming light into a quantitative biomarker.
OUR SOLUTION:
OPTICAL FINGERPRINTING
Tumors Have a Signature. We Read it
Every tissue has a unique optical signature shaped by:
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molecular composition
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metabolic state
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vascularity and oxygenation
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microstructural organization
Illuminating the Unknown:
Transforming Cancer Surgery with Optical Fingerprinting
Cancer surgery is fundamentally constrained by what surgeons can see.
MRI, neuronavigation, and even fluorescence-guided surgery provide valuable information — but all leave critical blind spots at the tumor–normal tissue interface.
We are changing this paradigm by introducing a new layer of biological intelligence into the operating room:
OPTICAL FINGERPRINTING— the ability to detect and classify tissue based on its intrinsic optical signature, in real time, during surgery.
WHAT WE DO
Seeing Beyond the Limits of Today's Imaging
WHO WE ARE
Designed by Surgeons & Engineers,
Powered by Optics and AI
brings together clinical insight, deep-tech engineering, and translational execution to create a new category in surgical oncology.
Co-Founder
A brain tumor neurosurgeon and innovative engineer with a career building novel optical tools for surgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurobiology
Director of Neurosurgical Oncology and Brain Tumor Program
Jennie Sealy Distinguished Endowed Chair in Neuroscience
Department of Neurosurgery
University Texas Medical Branch
Affiliate Faculty
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rice University
Harvard-Trained Neurosurgeon (Harvard Medical School, 2021)
Neurosurgical Oncology-Trained (University of Montpellier, Prof. Duffau, 2022)
MIT Research Scientist (MIT, 2019)
MD/PhD in Engineering (Dartmouth College Medical School and Thayer School of Engineering, 2014)
Pablo Valdes, MD/PhD
Co-Founder
A robotics and optical engineer dedicated to building optical tools that change lives
Research Scientist & Lead Optical Engineer
LENS Collaborative
University Texas Medical Branch
Department of Neurosurgery
&
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rice University
Robotics Engineering PhD (Carnegie Mellon University, 2022)
Alankar Kotwal, PhD
Co-Founder
A neurosurgeon-scientist translating technologies from the lab into real world solutions
CMO & Co-founder, Centile Bio and Upfront Diagnostics
Harvard Neurosurgery training (Harvard Medical School, 2026)
MIT Research Scientist (MIT, 2024)
MD (University of Alabama at Birmingham, NIH-OxCam, MD/PhD, 2019)
Joshua Bernstock, MD/PhD
Co-Founder
A world leader in computational imaging and novel imaging tools making digital health a reality
Professor & Chair
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Computer Science
Rice University
Co-founder, Synoptic
Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD (University of Maryland, 2008)
Ashok Veeraraghavan, PhD
“The End of Invisible Tumors: Why Optical Intelligence Is the Next Era of Surgery.”
INSIGHTS blog explores the ideas, technologies, and clinical advances shaping the future of precision surgery — from optical imaging and artificial intelligence to translational research and surgical strategy.
We share perspectives that help surgeons, partners, and innovators stay ahead, because progress in medicine begins with understanding — and the courage to see differently.
INSIGHTS BLOG
Where Clinical Insight Meets Technological Breakthrough.
SURGICAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES