To market and sell its solutions for preclinical in vivo fluorescence imaging, France-based Fluoptics announced it has opened an office in Cambridge.

Fluoptics develops integrated solutions that combine a nonradioactive fluorescent tracer targeting cancer cells with its Fluobeam real-time optical imaging system. The proprietary device, due to enter clinical trials this year in Europe, is already available to the preclinical research market. More than 15 units have been sold worldwide.

“We will now work on accelerating the distribution of our preclinical instruments in the US and Canada directly or through key partnerships,” said Odile Allard, CEO of Fluoptics.

Fluobeam is already used with small and large animals in preclinical trials in fields such as drug development, cancer, inflammation, and infectious and cardiovascular diseases.

Once approved for the clinical market, the technology will help surgeons see what the naked eye cannot. It will illuminate cancer cells in real time for the surgeon performing the resection of cancerous tumors using natural light, for example.

Fluoptics develops fluorescence image-guided surgery equipment.

For more information, visit: www.fluoptics.com