A Medical Device Daily

Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) reported that it has licensed its Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy technology to Carl Zeiss MicroImaging (Jena, Germany) for use in the company's confocal and multi-photon microscopes. Terms of the licensing arrangement were not disclosed.

CARS microscopy allows rapid and non-perturbative imaging of biological specimens with chemical selectivity. The contrast in CARS microscopy arises from the intrinsic vibrations of molecules. Every molecule has one or more chemical bonds, the bending or stretching of which have characteristic vibrational frequencies that depend on the bond length and strength.

The technology was developed in the lab of Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, PhD, professor of chemistry and chemical siology at Harvard.

"This technology has far-reaching implications for helping advance important biomedical research," said Isaac Kohlberg, chief technology development officer, Harvard University. "Our agreement with Carl Zeiss MicroImaging is aligned with our strategy to partner with the best and most expert companies who, like us, are dedicated to excellence and quality."

Dr. Ulrich Simon, president/CEO of Carl Zeiss MicroImaging, said, "Carl Zeiss thoroughly screens for all technologies that promise to put its customers research into a leading position. Professor Xie and his group at Harvard University have pioneered CARS microscopy in a very impressive way. Licensing this technology will allow us to add another highly efficient research tool to our advanced microscopy portfolio."

To image a specimen, such as tissues or cells, CARS microscopy utilizes two highly focused laser beams at different frequencies. By setting the difference between the two laser frequencies equal to the frequency of vibration of a particular chemical bond, molecules with that bond are made to vibrate coherently. This causes the sample to emit at a new frequency (called the "anti-Stokes" frequency) from the laser focus.

An image is created by scanning the beams over the sample and detecting the intensity of the emitted anti-Stokes light at each position. In this way, one can map the concentration of the molecule of interest (e.g. lipid) throughout the tissue, or within a cell with 300nm lateral resolution.

By using excitation lasers at near-infrared wavelengths, which can penetrate deep into tissue, CARS microscopy can reach a depth of nearly 0.3 mm below the surface. Efforts are underway to extend CARS microscopy for not only cell biology applications, but also disease diagnostics and real-time surgical guidance.

Carl Zeiss MicroImaging, a subsidiary of the Carl Zeiss Group, offers microscopy solutions and systems for research, laboratories, routine and industrial applications, as well as spectral sensors for the analysis market.

In other deals activity: Universal Hospital Services (UHS; Edina, Minnesota) reported the pricing of a previously disclosed private offering by UHS Merger Sub, of $460 million of senior secured notes, consisting of $230 million aggregate principal amount of second lien senior secured floating rate notes, due 2015, and $230 million aggregate principal amount of second lien senior secured PIK toggle notes, due 2015.

The notes will be issued by UHS Merger Sub, a subsidiary of UHS Holdco, as part of the financing that will be used to consummate the acquisition of UHS by Holdco, an affiliate of Bear Stearns Merchant Banking.

The sale of the notes and the acquisition are expected to close on May 31, subject to certain closing conditions.

UHS is a medical equipment lifecycle services company.