Optiscan is a world-leader in the field of live micro-imaging,...

Optiscan is a world-leader in the field of live micro-imaging, where powerful microscopes are used to image internal organs at the cellular level in real time for surgery and during diagnostic procedures such as endoscopy. In the 1990s the company introduced one of the first fibre optic confocal microscopy devices, while its Pentax ISC-1000, FDA approved in late 2004, was the world’s first flexible endomicroscope. The commercialisation of this landmark instrument stalled in 2007 and 2008 due to a combination of factors - Pentax was taken over by Hoya not long before the Global Financial Crisis, which led to cancellation of all Pentax-originated research and development, leading in turn to the discontinuation of the Pentax ISC-1000. Ten years later, we see the phoenix rising from the ashes. Last year a new leadership team took office at Optiscan, focused on gaining commercial outcomes from the historic A$100m that has been invested in the company since the 1990s. With the support of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, the German manufacturer of optical systems, Optiscan is now nearing completion of its second-generation device specifically designed for neurosurgery, which has the potential to become a new gold standard for brain tumour surgery by making current practice obsolete. We expect this device will gain FDA approval later this year. We see the new product and the new Optiscan pipeline as helping to re-rate the stock. We value Optiscan at 11 cents per share base case and 25 cents per share optimistic case. Our 17-cent target price sits at around the midpoint of our valuation range.