CapeRay

CapeRay Medical (Pty) Ltd is a medical device company, spun out from the University of Cape Town in 2010, focused on developing equipment for the early and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer, particularly in women with dense breast tissue. The company's establishment was spearheaded by founders Kit Vaughan and Tania Douglas, who brought extensive experience from the medical imaging research unit of South Africa's Medical Research Council. The venture was launched with a significant $2 million in venture capital funding from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa.

The company's origins can be traced back to a 1999 joint venture between the University of Cape Town and De Beers, called African Medical Imaging (Pty) Ltd (AMI). This venture aimed to adapt low-dose X-ray (LODOX) technology, originally developed by De Beers to prevent diamond theft, for medical applications. In 2005, a $275,000 grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported the development of an innovative mammography project based on AMI's intellectual property. AMI was later rebranded as CapeRay in 2010.

Founder and CEO, Dr. Kit Vaughan, is an emeritus professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cape Town with a distinguished four-decade career that includes a PhD in musculoskeletal biomechanics and multiple US patents. His extensive background in medical device development includes contributions to companies like Lodox Systems and Strait Access Technologies, directly informing CapeRay's direction. Co-founder Tania Douglas is a Professor in Biomedical Engineering at UCT, holding qualifications in electronic engineering, a PhD in bioengineering, and an Executive MBA.

CapeRay's flagship product is the Aceso system, a dual-modality platform that integrates full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) into a single device. This addresses a significant challenge in breast cancer screening: the difficulty of detecting cancers in the 40% of women who have dense breast tissue, where mammography alone has limitations. By acquiring co-registered X-ray and ultrasound images simultaneously, the Aceso system improves diagnostic accuracy. The procedure is designed to be efficient, taking approximately ten minutes for both breasts, which is significantly faster than separate screenings, while also reducing breast compression and radiation dose. CapeRay's business model centers on the manufacturing and sale of these medical imaging systems to radiologists and international healthcare providers. The company has secured patents for its technology in the UK and the US and holds ISO 13485 certification, enabling international sales.

Keywords: medical device, breast cancer detection, dual-modality imaging, digital mammography, automated breast ultrasound, dense breast tissue, medical imaging equipment, Aceso system, Kit Vaughan, University of Cape Town spin-off, diagnostic equipment, oncology, FFDM, ABUS, low-dose X-ray, medtech, healthcare technology, radiology, cancer screening, South African innovation