Who We Are
Built by Surgeons, Engineers, and Translational Scientists
We were founded at the intersection of:
neurosurgery
optical engineering
artificial intelligence
translational cancer research
We are a team that understands:
the realities of surgery
the limitations of existing tools
the urgency of improving patient outcomes
Our work is driven by a single belief:
Surgeons should never have to guess where the tumor ends
Our Mission
Making Invisible Tumors Visible
Cancer surgery still depends on what the surgeon can see — and too often, the most dangerous disease is the part that remains invisible.
Despite remarkable advances in imaging, navigation, and surgical technique, tumors routinely extend beyond what MRI, fluorescence, or the naked eye can reveal. These unseen margins are where recurrence begins, where outcomes are decided, and where today’s tools fall short.
exists to change that.
Our mission is to make invisible tumors visible by translating the hidden optical signatures of tissue into real-time surgical intelligence. We are building a new class of technology that allows surgeons to see biology itself — not days before surgery, not after pathology returns, but in the moment when decisions matter most.
WHO WE ARE
A New Standard for Surgical Oncology
We envision a future where:
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no tumor is invisible
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no margin is guessed
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no patient’s outcome is limited by what couldn’t be seen
is building the foundation for precision surgery driven by optical intelligence — starting in the brain, expanding across oncology.
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)
PhD (Cambridge University, 2015)
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
Our Values
Precision, integrity, and patient-first innovation guide everything we build—ensuring that every advance we make is grounded in evidence, designed for real surgical environments, and focused on meaningful clinical impact.
SURGICAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES