{"entity":{"id":"leadoptik-last-inch-assessment","kind":"drug","name":"Last Inch Assessment (LIA)","aka":["LIA"],"tldr":"Last Inch Assessment is an optical imaging tool from LEADOPTIK that lets doctors see, during a lung biopsy, whether the needle is inside a small nodule. It is in development and not yet cleared by the FDA.","summary":"Last Inch Assessment (LIA) is the flagship technology of LEADOPTIK for pulmonary imaging and biopsy. NCI SBIR grant 1R44CA314574-01 funds its development for transbronchial biopsy of peripheral lung lesions, where, the award abstract says, radial endobronchial ultrasound reaches a diagnostic yield of 56.3 per cent for nodules under 20 mm because the imaging probe and biopsy tool must be exchanged. A clinical adviser quoted by the company says it is preparing for FDA submission.","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"LEADOPTIK","url":"https://leadoptik.com/"},{"label":"NIH RePORTER: award 1R44CA314574-01","url":"https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11405793"}],"tags":["pipeline"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["devices","diagnostics"],"technologies":["optical-imaging"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["leadoptik"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"provenance":{"editedBy":"OnCo startup monitors","editedOn":"2026-11-04"},"modality":"Optical biopsy-guidance imaging device","mechanism":"Real-time microstructure imaging at the tip of the biopsy tool during bronchoscopy, so that the operator can confirm the needle is in the lesion before sampling, as described by the company and its NCI award.","approvals":[],"mechanismSteps":[],"toxicity":[],"access":[],"regulatoryEvents":[]},"route":"/drugs/leadoptik-last-inch-assessment/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"devices","kind":"section","name":"Devices & Physical Therapies","route":"/fronts/devices/"},{"id":"diagnostics","kind":"section","name":"Diagnostics & Biomarkers","route":"/fronts/diagnostics/"}],"technology":[{"id":"optical-imaging","kind":"technology","name":"Optical & fluorescence imaging","route":"/technologies/optical-imaging/"}],"company":[{"id":"leadoptik","kind":"company","name":"LEADOPTIK","route":"/companies/leadoptik/"}]}}