MolecuLight
Advancing Wound Care through Real-Time Objective Imaging

For decades, wound care has relied heavily on visual inspection and clinical judgment. However, numerous studies show that clinically significant bacterial burden often appears without classic symptoms, particularly in patients with comorbidities like diabetes. The disconnect between visible signs and the underlying bacterial condition can delay appropriate intervention and extend healing time.

MolecuLight closes this gap through real-time objective imaging that supports informed treatment decisions. Its advanced fluorescence technology allows clinicians to visualize bacterial burden at the point-of-care, supporting better patient outcomes and an evidence-informed approach.

The handheld device integrates fluorescence imaging, wound measurement and thermal assessment into a compact platform engineered for accurate, reproducible imaging while remaining comfortable to operate with one hand during bedside procedures.

“We are fundamentally changing how clinicians approach wound assessment by providing visual information of the underlying bacterial burden,” says Danielle Dunham, Senior Director, Marketing and Product Management.

By moving wound assessment beyond subjective visual evaluation, MolecuLight supports more targeted interventions, improved healing rates, greater wound area reduction and stronger antimicrobial stewardship.

Bridging Assessment Gaps for Earlier Intervention

MolecuLight’s fluorescence imaging technology detects regions of a wound with bacterial loads of 10⁴ CFU/g and above, associated with delayed healing. FDA-cleared labeling also confirms detection of fluorescence produced by Gram-positive, Gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic bacterial species. While it is not intended to diagnose infection, it provides objective information that clinicians can interpret alongside the broader wound assessment.

The device allows clinicians to make more informed decisions without waiting for microbiology results and determine where additional cleansing, debridement or sampling may be appropriate.

It also helps address disparities in wound assessment and supports more equitable care. Traditional signs of infection can be difficult to identify in patients with darker skin tones. Fluorescence imaging increases detection sensitivity multifold across all skin tones, including highly pigmented skin.

Optimizing Clinical Workflows

MolecuLight integrates seamlessly into routine care through a streamlined workflow. Its intuitive user interface guides clinicians to capture consistent, high-quality images with ease.

Integration with Electronic Health Records (EHR) streamlines documentation while creating a longitudinal visual record of wound progression, allowing clinicians to monitor healing over time and compare objective findings across patient visits. Patient information, images, measurements and thermal assessment data are automatically transferred between the device and the medical record. This reduces manual data entry and documentation burden while supporting quality initiatives, reimbursement requirements, regulatory compliance and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Accelerating Clinical Adoption through Training and Validation

MolecuLight drives adoption by helping clinicians build confidence in interpreting objective imaging through comprehensive onboarding and clinical education. It provides structured training that combines self-paced e-learning, virtual education and on-site guidance from clinical application specialists with firsthand nursing experience. A multidisciplinary team spanning engineering, EHR integration and clinical application specialists supports these efforts.

It also delivers clinical and operational value to help organizations build a stronger return on investment. The clinical impact is backed by more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) published in Diabetes Care found that fluorescence imaging doubled diabetic foot ulcer healing rates at 12 weeks. Another RCT showed that fluorescence-guided debridement reduced bacterial burden, antibiotic use, hospital stays and reinfection rates while improving healing outcomes.

The FDA’s Medical Device Development Tool qualification for its wound measurement feature recognizes the accuracy and reliability for use as a qualified endpoint in research. As the first company to bring point-of-care fluorescence imaging for bacterial detection to market, MolecuLight sustains clinician confidence through validation and ongoing product advancement.

MolecuLight is implementing AI capabilities that could help clinicians identify healing patterns, monitor wound trajectories and recognize early signs of deterioration. Combining these capabilities with objective wound data can make wound care increasingly proactive and predictive.

By building on its foundation of objective imaging and clinical evidence, MolecuLight aims to eventually help clinicians move from seeing what is happening now to anticipating what may happen next.