The FDA recently released draft guidance for optical imaging drugs, including an appendix dedicated...
QUEL Imaging was founded with support from the NIH SBIR program — a critical funding mechanism for translating promising academic ideas into impactful commercial technologies. The program fosters U.S.-based job creation and new industries. We take that mission seriously and proudly support other teams working to do the same.
We’re building an ecosystem to accelerate clinical translation optical systems through developing standardized, traceable tissue phantoms. We collaborate closely with our customers to tackle hurdles in system characterization or fluorophore development and deliver tailored solutions — all while promoting consensus-building across the field.
Our customizable manufacturing platform for optical phantoms lets our team rapidly develop custom targets for specific optical applications. While we’ve built a strong foundation in fluorescence-guided surgery — and continue to support that space — our platform extends far beyond. We’ve partnered with teams developing diverse clinical applications, including novel biomarker development, neuro-sensing platforms, dynamic physiological monitoring, dermatological assessment, luminal endoscopy, and robotic surgery.
Early-Stage Product Development
Bringing a new optical sensing technology into the clinic is no small task — it’s a long, expensive road. We help streamline that process.
When teams are starting development of a new device, animal and tissue model systems add unwanted variability that slow development progress and add risk to development efforts. With deep academic expertise and a track record in customizing phantom designs, our team helps extract key performance metrics that drive development forward. Our phantoms control sample variability to let you focus on iterating quickly to deliver working prototypes faster, with less risk.
We also help teams with data analysis through our open-source image analysis software platform - QUEL-QAL. By helping teams gather quantitative data earlier, we reduce uncertainty and support smarter decisions. While phantoms won’t eliminate the need for costly animal studies eventually, they improve the odds of success by reducing risk along the way.
Pilot Production and V&V Support
Benchmarking and verifying system performance is critical in optical medical devices. The FDA requires you to strictly ensure device performance before they are shipped to customers.
Our targets let you quantitatively and repeatably benchmark your device’s critical functions to ensure your devices are performing to specification and delivering value to your customers. We rigorously characterize our phantoms with state-of-the-art analytical spectroscopy and maintain lot-traceability within our quality management system. Rest assured that our phantoms can be a reliable reference for your quality and system verification needs.
Grant Application Support
We can provide letters of support, background data, and serve as co-investigators on grant applications that align with our business’s roadmap. Our team’s deep expertise in tissue optics, medical imaging, and high-quality manufacturing make us a strong partner for your next grant application where tissue phantoms are critical.
How can we help you?
If you’re working on your next grant proposal, we’d love to hear where you’re stuck. Teams that invest early in methodical validation strategies tend to move faster and more confidently. Anyone can make a phantom — but ours are backed by robust quality management and years of domain expertise. We’ll make the tools you need to verify your progress so you can stay focused on what you do best.
If you’re interested in collaborating on your next grant application, we’re happy to provide supporting documentation. Just reach out and tell us where you need help.
