Making Cancer Visible: New Imaging Agent Aims to Revolutionize Lung Surgery

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – March 17, 2026 – Vergent Bioscience has launched a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for an investigational imaging agent that could fundamentally change how surgeons fight lung cancer. The study, named VISUALIZE 2, will test a fluorescent dye called abenacianine, designed to make cancerous tissue glow under near-infrared light, providing surgeons with a real-time map of the disease during an operation.

The initiation marks a critical milestone for a technology aimed at solving one of the most significant challenges in modern cancer surgery: ensuring every last cancer cell is removed. As surgery becomes less invasive, the surgeon's ability to see and feel the tumor is diminished, increasing the risk of leaving microscopic disease behind.

The Limits of Sight in the Modern Operating Room

Surgery remains a cornerstone of treatment for early-stage lung cancer, offering the best chance for a cure. In recent decades, the shift towards minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures has brought tremendous benefits to patients, including smaller incisions, less pain, and faster recovery times. However, this progress has introduced a new paradox: surgeons who operate with robotic arms and high-definition cameras lose the ability to directly touch and feel the tissue, a critical sense used to differentiate between a hard, cancerous nodule and soft, healthy lung.

This limitation can have life-or-death consequences. Incomplete removal of a tumor, where cancerous cells are left at the surgical margin, is a primary driver of cancer recurrence. Studies show that even after a seemingly successful surgery for non-small cell lung cancer, recurrence rates can be as high as 33%. These recurrences are not only devastating for patients, significantly worsening survival outcomes, but also place a massive strain on the healthcare system. Research indicates that the cost of care for a patient with recurrent lung cancer can be more than double that of a patient who remains disease-free.

Abenacianine is designed to bridge this sensory gap by providing a new form of molecular sight, turning a surgeon’s standard view into an augmented reality where cancer cannot hide.

A Molecular Flashlight to Guide the Surgeon's Hand

Abenacianine works as a type of “molecular flashlight.” Administered as a simple intravenous infusion hours or days before the procedure, the agent circulates through the body. It is engineered to specifically bind to cathepsins, a family of enzymes that are overactive and abundant in a wide range of solid tumors, including lung cancer. Once bound, the agent activates.

The agent incorporates indocyanine green (ICG), a well-established near-infrared (NIR) dye. When the surgeon switches their surgical camera to an NIR mode—a feature now common on most robotic and laparoscopic systems—the cancerous tissue targeted by abenacianine fluoresces brightly, clearly distinguishing it from surrounding healthy tissue.

“By revealing malignant tissue undetectable by white light, abenacianine brings molecular intelligence into the operating room, helping surgeons make more confident decisions when precision matters most,” said John Santini, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer at Vergent Bioscience. “We believe abenacianine has the potential to become critical operating room technology as surgery continues to evolve and become more minimally invasive, robotic, and precise.”

Previous clinical studies have already demonstrated the agent's potential. In Phase 2 trials, the use of abenacianine provided surgeons with crucial information that changed their operative plan in up to 45% of cases. These changes included locating tumors that were too small to see or feel, identifying previously unknown secondary cancer spots, and ensuring the surgical margins were truly free of cancer.

The VISUALIZE 2 Trial and a Fast Track to Approval

The VISUALIZE 2 study is a multi-center, randomized trial that will enroll 132 patients at 10 leading cancer centers across the United States and Australia. The study’s design is straightforward: during surgery, the surgeon will first use standard techniques to find and assess the tumor. Then, they will activate the NIR camera to see what abenacianine reveals.

The primary measure of success will be the rate of “Clinically Significant Events,” defined as any instance where the agent helps a surgeon locate a lesion they couldn't find otherwise or identifies additional cancer that was missed by standard inspection. These findings will be confirmed by pathology reports after the surgery.

“Once surgery begins, even the most carefully planned procedures can sometimes be limited by what is visible under white light,” said Dr. Sunil Singhal of the University of Pennsylvania, the study's principal investigator. “By turning light into molecular insight, abenacianine aims to provide surgeons with actionable, real-time information, and we look forward to confirming if it supports more precise, tissue-sparing decisions.”

Recognizing the agent’s potential to fill a critical unmet need, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already granted abenacianine Fast Track Designation, a process designed to expedite the development and review of drugs that treat serious conditions.

A Strategic Position in a Growing Field

Vergent Bioscience is not alone in the quest to improve surgical vision. The field of intraoperative molecular imaging is a hotbed of innovation, with other technologies like intraoperative MRI and different types of fluorescent agents also under development. However, abenacianine’s design offers a key strategic advantage: seamless integration. Because it uses the common ICG dye and is compatible with existing NIR camera systems, hospitals would not need to purchase expensive new equipment to adopt the technology, potentially smoothing its path to widespread use.

The company is well-funded for this final push toward commercialization, having raised $57 million to date. A 2022 financing round notably included Intuitive Surgical, the maker of the da Vinci robotic surgery system, as a key investor. This strategic partnership hints at a clear and powerful commercialization strategy, potentially integrating abenacianine’s capabilities directly with the world’s leading robotic surgery platform.

With its Phase 3 trial now underway, Vergent Bioscience is on the verge of potentially delivering a tool that could shift the paradigm in cancer surgery, empowering surgeons to not only remove the cancer they can see, but also the cancer that, until now, has remained invisible.