Lumitron Technologies

About Lumitron Technologies

Lumitron Technologies, an Irvine, California-based firm founded in 2018, is positioned to alter the landscape of medical and industrial imaging. The company was established by Executive Chairman Maurie Stang, a seasoned entrepreneur in healthcare and technology, and Dr. Chris Barty, who serves as the Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Barty's extensive background in applied physics, including a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a significant tenure at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), provided the foundational expertise for Lumitron's core technology. The company's establishment followed a multi-year effort to acquire the exclusive commercial rights to proprietary X-ray and laser technology developed at LLNL, which was finally secured in 2017.

Lumitron is developing and commercializing a new class of X-ray systems based on laser-Compton scattering, which effectively miniaturizes the power of a football-field-sized synchrotron particle accelerator into a device comparable in size to a modern CT scanner. The company's flagship product, the HyperVIEW EBCS (Extremely Bright Compton Source), collides a beam of near-light-speed electrons with a laser beam to produce monochromatic, high-energy X-ray beams. This enables capabilities such as ultra-high-fidelity imaging, ultra-low dose radiography, and hyper-precision radiotherapy. For medical applications, this translates to imaging resolutions potentially up to 1,000 times higher than conventional X-rays, at significantly lower radiation doses. This allows for imaging soft tissues at a cellular level, a feat previously restricted to billion-dollar synchrotron facilities.

The company's business model targets both medical and industrial sectors. Initial clients include university research facilities, hospitals, and government institutions. The technology holds promise for non-destructive evaluation of materials, which is crucial for industries like 3D printing, mining, security, and semiconductor manufacturing. Lumitron operates on a business-to-business model, selling its HyperVIEW systems to these institutions. In April 2020, the company secured $34 million in a Series C funding round led by Vickers Venture Partners, with participation from other investors including Roth Capital Partners, to accelerate the commercialization of its HyperVIEW system. The company has received a "Breakthrough Device" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its HyperVIEW system for breast cancer diagnosis, which is expected to expedite the approval process.