Annexin-Vivo 750 imaging agent for measuring cell death in vivo

Sep 2 2009

VisEn Medical Inc., a leader in fluorescence in vivo imaging from research through medicine, announced today the commercial launch of its new Annexin-Vivo 750 imaging agent for measuring and monitoring apoptosis and cell death in vivo. The new Annexin-Vivo 750 agent is based on the well established Annexin labeling standard in in vitro research. It is expected to significantly expand research areas and enhance drug development by enabling real time imaging of apoptosis and cell death biomarkers associated with disease progression and therapeutic response in vivo.

Annexin-Vivo 750 targets membrane-bound phosphatidylserine exposed in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane during the induction of apoptosis and cell death. The new agent was developed through an R&D collaboration with MosaMedix, a pioneer in the development of advanced Annexin V-based products. "Annexin is a gold standard in research for the detection of exposed phosphatidylserine, a hallmark of apoptotic and dying cells," said Kirtland Poss, VisEn's President and CEO. "VisEn and MosaMedix have worked closely together to develop a robust Annexin-based in vivo fluorescent imaging agent for the assessment of apoptosis and cell death in vivo. We expect this agent to open up truly breakthrough research areas, especially along with complementary in vitro readouts and within VisEn's broader fluorescence in vivo imaging agent portfolio." "We are extremely pleased to be working with VisEn, a clear leader in the field of in vivo fluorescent imaging and the perfect partner in enabling the new in vivo imaging applications using our Annexin V technology platforms," said Peter Moonen, CEO of MosaMedix.

VisEn's proprietary fluorescence imaging agents and labels are designed to provide the industry's broadest and most robust range of biologically-specific imaging readouts in vivo. VisEn now offers over 25 different fluorescence molecular agents for imaging key disease-associated biologic targets, processes and pathways. VisEn agent brands include ProSense(R), IntegriSense(TM), AngioSense(TM), OsteoSense(R), MMPSense(TM), Cat-K FAST(TM), and now Annexin-Vivo. VisEn also offers specialized lines of in vivo agent labeling platforms, including its proprietary VivoTag(R) fluorescence labeling dyes for custom agent development and its NanoSpark(R) labeling nanoparticles. They are all designed and optimized specifically for superior biocompatibility, brightness, stability and performance in in vivo imaging. All VisEn agents and labels, including the new Annexin-Vivo 750 and Cat-K FAST(TM) agents, are designed for in vivo biomarker quantification using VisEn's Fluorescence Molecular Tomography (FMT(TM)) imaging systems, or for general use along with other non-quantitative fluorescence in vivo imaging systems. VisEn agents are also designed to enable complementary in vitro biomarker readouts in cells and tissues using standard fluorescence microscopy and cellular-based imaging systems. With a focus on translational research and results, all of VisEn's technologies are designed to generate translational data linking pre-clinical research into clinical medicine.