VivoLUX is working to design an affordable, portable photoacoustic imaging system, VALIS (vascular acoustic light imaging system), specialized for imaging vasculature. Through photoacoustic imaging, it is possible to achieve microscopic resolution images in real-time that are not achievable through other modern imaging techniques. VALIS uses a hybrid of optical and ultrasound imaging to overcome their respective individual shortcomings.The photoacoustic effect, induced by high powered, short pulses of light energy, produces a recordable image with intensity level in accordance with tissue type. By selecting the correct color of light to pulse, you can selectively tune for the tissue of interest. The hemoglobin in blood is easy to isolate, generating images of vasculature networks full of valuable information.