This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop new clinical instrument for detecting early stage cancer in human epithelial tissues, the origin of most cancers. The instrument is based on a novel optical spectroscopic technology which is capable of providing information about cell nuclear morphology in vivo without the need to physically remove tissue. Preliminary experiments have shown a very high level of sensitivity and specificity when compared to pathological evaluation of tissue. The ability to quickly and accurately examine many tissue sites translates to significant commercial potential in clinical and research applications. The proposed research will enable clinical usage by simplifying instrument design and providing a robust, well calibrated fiber probe. The new instrumentation design will be validated with tissue phantoms experiments and in vivo measurements.
The broader impacts of this research include benefits to society, education and technology development. The proposed optical system will benefit society as it has the potential to greatly improve endoscopic screening and surveillance of epithelial tissues for signs of cancer by providing instant feedback on tissue health while avoiding the need for random biopsy. We will enable utilization of this technology in teaching, research, and industry through conference presentations and hardware offerings aimed at the research market. Finally, the proposed technology products has a very high commercialization potential such that successful development will lead to employment of technical staff such as electrical and biomedical engineers.
