The HiLight Solution
HiLight Surgical has developed a fiber optic-based imaging system designed with the purpose of intraoperative verification of tissue margins or biopsy results immediately in real-time. This utilizes label-free Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIm) technology enhanced with AI-ML.
Technology: Fluorescence Lifetime
Fluorescence is the phenomenon during which a substance absorbs light at one wavelength and then re-emits it at a different, and usually longer wavelength. The color or spectrum of emitted fluorescence light is characteristic of molecules present in the tissue.
The speed of fluorescence emission and characteristic decay curve, called fluorescence lifetime, also varies depending on the molecules present in the tissue.
Real-Time Cancer Detection — Intraoperatively
HiLight Surgical is developing the AetherScan Universal Console — a real-time tissue characterization platform that uses Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIm) + AI/ML to identify cancerous tissue during surgery and biopsy.
How It Works
Label-free: Uses the tissue's own natural fluorescence — no dyes, contrast agents, or radioactive tracers required
Real-time: Tissue classification in <20 ms with 30 fps probability overlays — faster than the surgeon's hand
Bright OR ready: Operates under normal surgical lighting with no special room setup
Surgeon-controlled: Fiber-optic probe in the surgeon's hand — no extra operator required
Where it fits - Addressing the Gaps
Section Title
Outpatient procedure. Provides real-time tissue classification during transperineal biopsy to improve sampling accuracy and reduce false negatives.
AetherLance — Biopsy Guidance
Intraoperative. Provides real-time margin assessment during robot-assisted prostatectomy to confirm complete resection and preserve healthy tissue.
AetherProbe — Surgical Guidance
How our technology distinguishes healthy from cancerous tissue — and grades severity
These charts show how HiLight's optical measurements separate healthy prostate tissue from prostate cancer and identify more aggressive tumors. Each tissue type produces a unique light signature (shown as contour maps) that our algorithms use to classify tissue in real time. While some early-stage cancers overlap with healthy tissue on a single measurement, combining multiple optical signals resolves the ambiguity. The boundary lines and probability curves demonstrate the system's ability to accurately distinguish cancerous from non-cancerous tissue — results that were validated against standard pathology analysis.