Moor and BTG

The history of Burn Assessment at Moor starts in 1995 when we were approached by Tim Essex and Philip Byrne of Newcastle University who had developed and patented a unique laser Doppler imaging technique to provide colour coded images of blood flow in the microvasculature. The Newcastle system used a continuously moving beam which offered much faster, high resolution scans and, critically, a genuine large area capability of up to 50 x 50cm. It used a unique optical design which enabled use in a normally lit environment. In essence it was the first “useable” laser Doppler imager albeit in a working prototype form (that worked exceptionally well!).

Tim and Philip had partnered with the British Technology Group to seek a commercial partner. Promising further development and commercialisation, we signed an agreement in 1995 with BTG. It is worth noting that this system (albeit in a grandchild form) is still available from us today and forms a key part of our imaging portfolio. The system uses a single laser beam (like a laser pointer) moving across the tissue continuously rather than in a stepped fashion making the scanning much more rapid without compromising accuracy.