The Belgian startup Molecubes received 1.9 million euro from different investors for the commercialization of a compact scanner for animals.

Molecubes, a spin-off from the University of Ghent, builds compact scanners for small animals such as mice or rats. The imaging systems are used for research into new drugs.

The scanners or ‘cubes’ are a cheaper alternative to the current generation of animal scanners, which are cumbersome and expensive. The cubes fit on almost any laboratory bench. The software and hardware are designed in such a way that the laboratory technicians can operate the scanner as intuitive as a microscope.

The cubes also have a modular design, which means that the laboratory technician can combine multiple scanners. The different scanning techniques (SPECT, PET, CT) do not only allow revealing the anatomy, but also the biological processes in the body of the animals.

“The scanner is very appropriate to map disease mechanisms, which is very useful for oncology, cardiology and neurology research,” says the startup.