Qold Biosciences
Investigational · Advanced research program

Cold ablation

Q-Blate is the world's first cold ablation laser, aimed at delivering ablative treatment for all skin types and expanding applications well beyond scar elimination.

Q-Blate cold ablation laser concept

The problem

Fractional lasers work. Heat holds them back.

Fractional lasers treat rejuvenation, unwanted pigment, wrinkles, scars and laxity. The number of patients who choose them is limited by three factors, and all three trace back to excessive heating of the dermis.

PainTopical anesthetic adds up to an hourNo topicals required

Current technology needs numbing cream that can turn a 20-minute procedure into an 80-minute visit.

DowntimeMore than a week off workA planned lunch-time procedure

With no coagulation zones to heal, recovery is designed to be dramatically faster.

HyperpigmentationHigher risk in darker skinDesigned for all skin types

Removing the thermal injury removes the main trigger for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Mechanism of action

Only a narrow range of laser parameters produces cold ablation

Q-Blate pairs a mid-infrared wavelength strongly absorbed by water with picosecond-to-nanosecond pulses. The pulse ends before heat can travel out of the target volume.

Pulse duration regimes Log-scale pulse duration axis from femtoseconds to milliseconds. Q-Blate operates in the picosecond to nanosecond range. Conventional ablative lasers such as CO2 and Er:YAG operate in the microsecond to millisecond range, where heat spreads into surrounding tissue. fs · 10⁻¹⁵ s ps · 10⁻¹² s ns · 10⁻⁹ s µs · 10⁻⁶ s ms · 10⁻³ s Q-Blate cold ablation window CO₂ · Er:YAG thermal ablation, coagulation zone PULSE DURATION →
Step 1

Deposit

Laser energy is delivered into the skin through a fiber-coupled, ergonomic handpiece.

Step 2

Confine

The energy is acoustically confined to the irradiated volume, so it cannot spread into surrounding tissue.

Step 3

Eject

Tissue is ejected by the supersonic expansion of gaseous water, leaving no thermal damage behind.

Histological evidence

Deep channels with no coagulation

Published studies of picosecond infrared laser ablation show what removing heat from ablation looks like in tissue, compared with CO₂, Er:YAG, electrosurgery and the scalpel.

Deep channels
Best-in-class efficacy
No coagulation
Athermal, painless
Intact periphery and collagen fibrils
Minimal side effects, safe for all skin types, fast healing
No charring
No scar tissue, optimal for transdermal drug delivery
No scarring
Stretch mark and scar elimination
Histology comparing CO₂, Er:YAG and picosecond infrared laser ablation, and scar formation after electrosurgery, scalpel and PIRL incisions
  1. Böttcher A, et al. Reduction of thermocoagulative injury via use of a picosecond infrared laser (PIRL) in laryngeal tissues. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;272:941–948.
  2. Krutilin A, et al. Sampling of tissues with laser ablation for proteomics: comparison of picosecond infrared laser and microsecond infrared laser. J Proteome Res. 2019;18(3):1451–1457.
  3. Petersen H, et al. Comparative study of wound healing in rat skin following incision with a novel picosecond infrared laser (PIRL) and different surgical modalities. Lasers Surg Med. 2016;48(4):385–391.

Q-Blate

A no-compromise laser

A true cold ablation technology for skin resurfacing, rejuvenation and scar elimination.

  • Painless
  • Best-in-class efficacy
  • Fast recovery
  • Designed for all skin types
  • Eliminates scars and stretch marks
  • Improves transdermal drug delivery

Q-Blate is investigational. It has not been cleared or approved by the FDA and is not available for sale. Performance statements describe design goals.

Collaborate on cold ablation

We welcome conversations with clinical investigators, research institutions and strategic partners interested in Q-Blate.

Contact our team →