Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and Mauna Kea Technologies announced an expansion of the IRiS (Imaging and Robotics in Surgery) Alliance through a strategic ?6.0 million (AUD 9.6 million) investment to develop new hybrid pharmaceutical-device products through the combination of Telix's cancer-targeting agents with Mauna Kea's Cellvizio surgical endomicroscopy platform. Telix's investment in Mauna Kea will further support the development of advanced imaging techniques for minimally invasive (laparoscopic and robotic) surgery, with a specific focus on urologic oncology. Mauna Kea is a leading medical device company pioneering the development of real-time intraoperative visualisation of cancer tissue during surgery.

Mauna Kea's Cellvizio confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) in vivo cellular imaging platform has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and is CE Marked for a range of applications.[3] Cellvizio's regulatory approval landscape and broad clinical experience make it an ideal platform to explore applications of endomicroscopy combined with radiopharmaceutical and fluorescence imaging techniques to build a comprehensive intra-operative imaging toolbox for urology applications. This strategic investment is synergistic with Telix's current diagnostic radiopharmaceutical portfolio as well as its recent Lightpoint and Dedicaid GmbH acquisitions. When used pre-operatively, Telix's radiopharmaceutical imaging agents such as TLX591-CDx (Illuccix®) or TLX250-CDx (Zircaix®)[6] potentially enable improved surgical planning to determine the location and extent of disease.

Lightpoint's SENSEI®, a radio-guided surgical probe works in conjunction with suitable cancer-seeking radiotracer agents to enable the intra-operative detection of cancer during a surgical intervention to help accurately answer the question, "where is the cancer?" In a complementary fashion, Mauna Kea's Cellvizio platform enables highly localised tissue visualisation through endomicroscopic fluorescence detection to potentially define and confirm surgical margins in real-time. Reflecting a shared commitment to building a long-term clinical and commercial partnership, Telix will acquire 19.33% of Mauna Kea's ordinary shares in a reserved private placement with a closing date of 17 November 2023.