Parallel@Illinois Special Seminar Series

Intraoperative Optical Biopsy of Breast Cancer: The Need for Speed in Real-Time Volumetric Microscopy

Wednesday, March 11^th at 4:15 pm CT, B02 CSL

Stephen Boppart, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ABSTRACT: Trends in medical imaging are toward the detection of disease at the cellular and molecular level, where diseases such as cancer originate. In addition, diagnosis of disease should occur at the point-of-care, rather than relying on more traditional methods of tissue biopsy, processing, sectioning, staining, and review in the pathology department. These advances require high-resolution real-time imaging, often over large areas of tissue, resulting in significant increases in image data, and the subsequent need for fast data acquisition and processing rates, and more efficient data management and display systems. Because the image and data rates have exceeded our capacity to visually analyze results in real-time, computer-aided detection and diagnostic algorithms are now needed. As a representative example, this presentation will review the development of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a high-resolution optical imaging technology that has the potential for real-time intraoperative imaging and surgical guidance during breast cancer surgery.

BIO: Prof. Boppart is investigating novel optical diagnostic imaging technologies for basic science and translational clinical applications. From 2006-2008, he served as Founding Director of the Mills Breast Cancer Institute, and holds a joint position with Carle Foundation Hospital and Carle Clinic Association in Urbana, Illinois. His efforts included constructing a new building and developing new infrastructure to support translational research and technology development in breast cancer research between UIUC and Carle Foundation Hospital. Currently he is initiating efforts to co-chair a new Beckman Institute research theme in Integrative Imaging and lead a broader Strategic Initiative on Imaging, intended to leverage the campus strengths and diversity of over 100 faculty working in all aspects of imaging science, technology, and application. He holds appointments in the University of Illinois Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bioengineering and the College of Medicine, and is head of the Biophotonics Imaging Laboratory at Beckman Institute.

He holds a Ph.D. in medical and electrical engineering from MIT (1998) and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School (2000).

For more information about Dr. Boppart's lab, visit his group's website.