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Phase of Breast Imaging R&D Over
March 20, 2017

O

riental. A fishing town? Check. A sailing town? Check. An R&D town? Improbable as it may sound, Check. In recent years, four researchers, working out of a metal building at the edge of Oriental, developed what could one day mean a more comfortable way for women to get breast cancer screenings. (Think: no more flattening.) But at the end of March, Optosonics’ Oriental phase will draw to a close. Dan Reinecke is one of the partners:

We at Optosonics announce that after more than eight years of business here in Pamlico County we are closing our doors. As some of you may know, we have endeavored to develop new systems for breast cancer imaging based on photoacoustic technology. We have achieved quite a bit here in quiet Oriental, with prototype systems undergoing clinical trials at UNC and in Japan. But now it is time for our partners, here and abroad, to push the technology forward.

As you might imagine, we accumulated quite a bit of unusual stuff over the years. Just about all of it has found homes with Pamlico schools, Pamlico Community Library, Pamlico Community College, and the Physics department of ECU. The rest has found its way to the garages and workshops of our Oriental neighbors. Thanks to you all for helping us repurpose this equipment.

On behalf of Bob, Pat, and Dick, thanks to Mike Guzzo for keeping us totally wired up, Mark and LuAnn at Inner Banks for being great neighbors, and Silos for hosting a very large number of corporate lunches. We will see you around the campus.

Dan Reinecke Optosonics, Inc. Oriental NC March 2017

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