Australia-based Telix Pharmaceuticals has signed an agreement to acquire UK-based Lightpoint Medical along with its SENSEI radio-guided surgery business.

The purchase price consists of an upfront equity payment of A$29m ($20m) and a further earn-out payment of A$22m ($15m) in cash or equity, after attaining certain milestones linked to the ongoing development and commercialisation of the SENSEI probe.

Designed for intracavitary use, SENSEI is an ultra-miniature robotic gamma probe that facilitates intra-operative cancer detection in real time to offer radiopharmaceutical-based surgical guidance (radio-guided surgery).

Set to be integrated into Telix, the Lightpoint SENSEI business will operate as a new surgeon-focused business unit.

In addition, this new unit will support the development of other related medical devices and software technologies of Telix.

Lightpoint also has artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for surgical guidance, which will complement the AI programme of Telix.

The acquisition is expected to strengthen Telix’s capabilities in implementing molecular imaging in the surgical setting.

Lightpoint Medical founder and CEO Dr David Tuch said: “This acquisition brings numerous benefits to our surgeon users including enhanced access to the SENSEI technology and a continuum of PSMA-based detection and treatment options.”

SENSEI secured marketing authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2020.

In January 2021, it also received the CE mark for use in the European Economic Area and other applicable countries for intra-operative identification of sentinel lymph nodes and cancer metastasis through the lymphatic system.

In addition, SENSEI is claimed to be the only gamma probe validated for use with the Intuitive Surgical DaVinci robotics system.

Telix first signed a strategic partnership agreement with Lightpoint in August 2021 for the joint development of SENSEI with its PSMA-targeting SPECT imaging agent TLX599-CDx for prostate cancer.