Imagine Optics Acquires Karthala Systems, Expanding Bioimaging Capabilities
ORSAY, France, Dec. 16, 2025 — Imagine Optic, a specialist in wavefront analysis and adaptive optics technologies, has acquired Karthala System, a provider of ultrafast two-photon microscopy solutions. For Imagine Optic, the move strengthens the company’s position in the bioimaging field, while Karthala System will benefit from greater resources to accelerate industrial deployment, the companies said in a joint press release.
The companies’ said that their close proximity to Paris, and one another, will allow them to take full advantage of the resources available at both sites.
“This alliance will lead to the best technological offer on the two-photon microscopy market,” said Samuel Bucourt, president of Imagine Optic. “These technologies are complicated and take a long time to develop, but they are real game changers in the field and will enable us to observe biological samples more finely, more quickly, and in greater depth, to better understand cellular processes and interactions, and to accelerate the development of therapies, particularly in the field of neuroscience.”
The companies additionally cited the technology areas of optogenetics and deep imaging as those poised to benefit through the business combination.
The integration combines the complementary capabilities of Imagine Optics’ microscopy-dedicated division mu-Imagine, in deformable mirrors and adaptive optics, with Karthala System’s expertise in multiphoton imaging technologies.
Karthala is well known for its AODscope, an acousto-optic two-photon microscope, developed by the IBENS laboratory. The technology enables neuronal activity to be stimulated and analyzed in real-time with exceptional temporal resolution, finding use in neuroscience for intravital visualization of brain activity in different specimens.
The company also said that the acquisition and partnership will open a new chapter in its collaboration with IBENS. “The academic excellence that surrounds us is an asset in becoming a key player in the field of multiphoton microscopy,” says Fabrice Harms, head of microscopy activities at Imagine Optic (mu-Imagine division). Imagine Optic's mu-Imagine division develops adaptive optics components and modules specifically designed for microscopy.
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