Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Optical technologies can facilitate a non-ionizing diagnostic's highest space and time resolution. Optical imaging, spectroscopic diagnostic, and treatment monitoring of cancer (one of the leading causes of death) have a critical point to address: a limited depth (4-5 mm only) of light penetration into biotissues prescribed by tissue optical properties. The applicant studies this challenge of limited light penetration into biotissues for biomedical applications. The development of Superfine Needle Optical Microendoscope (SNOM) for Imaging and Spectroscopy comparable to the acupuncture needle size is the study's main goal. The applicant's group develops tools and technologies for SNOM enhancing optical interrogation up to 3.5-4 cm that can facilitate the vast majority of breast, prostate, and thyroid cancer diagnostics of the world population. The study's potential impact - exploiting SNOM will make possible the establishment of an intermediate small-invasive fast-screening diagnostic procedure. It will facilitate triage of the biopsy clinical examination optimising patients' load from hospital to ambulatory settings, moving cancer care closer to patients, allowing earlier diagnostics, and significantly reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies and health care burden. The SNOM technology platform and its development by-products are at the edge of contemporary technologies that can cross-pollinate interdisciplinary research and discoveries in biomedical and engineering applications. This Discovery research will significantly contribute to economic activity by developing new cost-effective technologies, providing a comprehensive platform for training HQP, raising the profile of Canadian science and high-tech, and benefiting patients.