Across optical sensing applications—from medical-grade pulse oximetry and surgical imaging to consumer wearables—researchers have long struggled with the high cost and poor reproducibility of biological testing. Animal and human studies are expensive and variable, and improvised materials like deli meats provide inconsistent optical properties. Recent FDA and NIH guidance has emphasized the need for reliable, reproducible, and scientifically grounded test methods. The industry has been waiting for a breakthrough in tissue phantom technology—one that accurately replicates complex, wavelength-dependent tissue optics in a stable, consistent form. That wait is over with OptiBlox®.
QUEL Imaging is proud to announce the launch of OptiBlox® – a suite of solid tissue-equivalent optical phantoms that represent the future of biomedical imaging validation and medical device development.
We offer four distinct product lines for OptiBlox® materials to address a broad range of technical needs.
| Q-T | Q-P | Q-X | Q-S | |
|
Optical Properties |
Homogenous | Homogenous | Multi-Material | Homogenous |
| Geometry | Simple | Complex / Anatomical | Complex / Anatomical | Simple |
| Material Hardness | Rigid | Rigid | Rigid | Soft <-> Rigid |
| Method | Cast | 3D Printed | 3D Printed | Cast |
| Lead Time | In Stock | 2-4 wks | 2-4 wks | 2-4 wks |
The Q-T product line provides simple blocks of homogenous reference materials with fully-characterized optical absorption and scattering properties. Q-T phantoms are available as stock offerings from the QUEL Imaging e-commerce shop with quick turnaround times to get you testing quickly.
Unsure what optical properties you need? Reach out to our team for some help selecting the right materials for your application.
The Q-P product line offers 3D-printable, optically homogenous reference materials for applications where the shape and size play a critical role in your development needs. We also offer optional fluorophore embedding of equivalent fluorophores for fluorescence imaging applications. Products like our coins and vessel show the types of shapes and form factors we can produce under the Q-P product platform.
Reach out to learn how we can make a Q-P phantom for your development team.
The Q-X product line offers a major advance in optical phantom technology, where we can now 3D-print multi-material phantom with distinct absorption and scattering properties defined on a voxel-by-voxel basis. This lets us mimic complex tissue architectures with multiple layers and chromophores to best model your target tissue application.
We can even include empty channels in model to couple fluid flow to mimic for blood or lymphatic flow physiology. Our team can help develop traceable multi-material phantom models that fit your application needs. Reach out to learn about our capabilities.
When tissue mechanical compliance and coupling of your devices are a critical consideration (e.g., wearable monitoring devices, soft tissue diagnostic probes), our Q-S product line provides a solution. We can now design optical reference materials into a soft tissue phantom formulation to conform surface shapes and mimic soft tissue coupling to optical devices. Both the optical properties and mechanical compliance of the materials are tunable to the needs of your application.
Ready to revolutionize your optical sensing development process? OptiBlox® phantoms are available now, with standard formulations shipping quickly and custom developments available through QUEL Imaging's expert engineering team.
Whether you're developing the next breakthrough in fluorescence-guided surgery, advancing wearable health monitoring technology, or pushing the boundaries of diagnostic imaging, OptiBlox® provides the foundation for reliable, evidence-based device development.
The era of compromising between phantom convenience and tissue realism is over. OptiBlox® delivers both – solid, durable phantoms with well-characterized tissue-equivalent optical properties across the wavelengths that matter for your application.
Contact QUEL Imaging today to discuss how OptiBlox® can accelerate your development timeline and improve your clinical outcomes.
The future of optical tissue phantoms is here, and it's built to perform exactly when and where you need it most.