Since January 2026, Cisteo MEDICAL has been participating in the European collaborative project NIRFUS, alongside four partners with complementary areas of expertise: the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the project coordinator; the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH); Imperial College London; and Alira Health.
Together, the partners are working to develop a new generation of intravascular catheters that combine two complementary imaging technologies: intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF).
The goal is to combine imaging of the vessel’s structure with information about its biological environment, in order to enhance the characterization of vascular diseases and improve imaging capabilities in interventional cardiology.
At the intersection of interventional cardiology, medical imaging, micro-optics, and catheter technologies, NIRFUS draws on the complementary strengths of its partners to address the challenges of miniaturization, integration, and reliability associated with the development of such a device.
The project has received €2.996 million in European funding, including a €569,130 contribution from the European Union allocated to Cisteo MEDICAL.
By combining these two technologies within a single catheter, NIRFUS aims to integrate the structure of the blood vessel with its biological environment and enhance imaging capabilities.
However, this integration poses a significant challenge in terms of miniaturization, precision, and reliability. The partners are working, in particular, to miniaturize the micro-optical components, ensure their precise alignment, and integrate the optical and ultrasonic functions into a single device. The goal is also to ensure the reproducibility of the assemblies and to advance the technology from proof of concept to laboratory validation.
NIRFUS thus operates at the intersection of medical micro-optics, microfabrication, and miniaturized catheter technologies.
Specializing in the development and manufacture of complex medical devices, Cisteo MEDICAL brings its expertise in microtechnology, high-precision assembly, prototyping, integration, and industrialization to the consortium.
For such miniaturized devices, the challenges related to manufacturing, reproducibility, and industrialization must be anticipated from the earliest stages of development.
As part of NIRFUS, this expertise helps bridge the gap between technological innovation and the practical requirements of medical devices by supporting the transition from technology to prototype, and then to a reliable, reproducible, and industrially scalable solution.
Contact us