A University of Arizona research team will receive nearly $2.7 million from the NIH's Common Fund Venture Program to advance next-generation imaging technologies that allow deeper, clearer views inside the body without the need for invasive procedures.
A University of Arizona research team will receive nearly $2.7 million from the NIH's Common Fund Venture Program to advance next-generation imaging technologies that allow deeper, clearer views inside the body without the need for invasive procedures.
The U of A team, led by Florian Willomitzer in the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski in the U of A Comprehensive Cancer Center, is one of only four groups nationwide to receive funding through the "Advancing Non-Invasive Optical Imaging Approaches for Biological Systems" initiative. The final award amount is pending successful completion of milestones and availability of funds.
The U of A research group will develop optical technology capable of peering deep into biological tissues, such as skin or soft tissue linings inside the body. The approach could be used to image skin cancers, the most prevalent malignancy worldwide, to help physicians assess tumor invasion and monitor treatment response.
The noninvasive approach is based on synthetic wavelength imaging, or SWI, which uses two separate illumination wavelengths to computationally generate one virtual, "synthetic" imaging wavelength. Due to the longer, synthetic wavelength, the signal is more resistant to light scattering inside tissue. At the same time, researchers can take advantage of the higher contrast information provided by the original illumination wavelengths.
Read More: University of Arizona
Image: Willomitzer (left) and Madabhushi Balaji align their Synthetic Wavelength Imaging lab bench prototype to image non-melanoma skin cancer. The final prototype will be implemented in a portable fashion to enable the first in-vivo studies in humans. (Credit: Parker Liu, University of Arizona)
