Deep Light Vision AB (“DLV”) is participating in the first in a series of planned clinical studies in breast cancer, where the company’s Ultrasound Optical Tomography (UOT) technology will be evaluated. The study is led by Professor Sophia Zackrisson, Senior Consultant in Diagnostic Radiology at Lund University and Skåne University Hospital, and includes 40 healthy volunteer participants.
The primary objective of the study is to confirm safety and evaluate participants’ well-being during measurements with DLV’s UOT system. The company also aims to gather information on the technology’s ability to visualize structures within the breast with good contrast—without using ionizing radiation.
“Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and accounts for roughly a quarter of all female cancer cases in Sweden. We want to contribute to the next generation of diagnostic imaging by combining quantum-enabled optics with ultrasound, creating a complement to today’s mammography and ultrasound,” says Anders Sjögren, CEO of Deep Light Vision AB.
Breast Cancer – Significant Medical Need and Growing Pressure on Healthcare
Breast cancer accounts for approximately 25–30% of all cancers in women in Sweden, and more than 8,000 women are diagnosed annually. Globally, more than 2 million women are diagnosed each year, with approximately 670,000 deaths. Breast cancer care is increasingly constrained by limited resources. As a result, alongside continued improvements in mammography—where, for example, 3D mammography has been shown to detect more tumors and reduce interval cancers—there is intensive development of new complementary optical and hybrid breast imaging techniques. DLV’s UOT platform addresses this area.
About the Planned Pilot Study
The ongoing clinical pilot study in healthy volunteers includes:
- UOT measurements on arms and/or legs in 30 participants
- UOT measurements on both breasts in 10 women
- Primary evaluation of safety and practical feasibility (e.g., examination time and patient comfort)
- Exploratory analysis of UOT data to assess the technology’s ability to “see through” the breast—i.e., visualize tissue structures throughout the full breast volume
The study is conducted following the necessary ethics and regulatory approvals, under the leadership of Professor Sophia Zackrisson, who has extensive experience in clinical breast imaging studies and has, among other work, led studies demonstrating that 3D mammography can detect more tumors than conventional mammography.
Quantum-Enabled UOT – Combining Depth, Contrast, and Resolution
Ultrasound Optical Tomography (UOT) is a hybrid technique that combines the high contrast of light with the localized resolution of ultrasound. Light—consisting of photons—scatters deeply in tissue, while a focused ultrasound field “tags” photons within a confined volume. By selectively detecting these tagged photons, optical properties such as blood volume and oxygenation (sO₂) can be reconstructed at millimeter scale several centimeters into the body.
“Our ambition is to combine the best of optics, ultrasound, and quantum technology into a clinically useful system. This first study in women is an important step to demonstrate that the technology is safe and practically feasible in a breast cancer context,” says Anders Sjögren, CEO of Deep Light Vision AB.