ULTRASHORT PULSED LASER BASED NON-INVASIVE EARLY
CANCER DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM
Kunal Mitra
Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department
Director- Biomedical Engineering Program
Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida 32901
ANIMAL STUDIES DATA
INTRODUCTION
 Short Pulse Laser Based Optical Tomography System
- world’s first fully software-controlled, desktop-size produced
by Raydiance Inc. (a DFJ Company)
- ultra-short pulse laser system providing high spatial and temporal resolution
- can provide real-time complete 3-D view of the scanned area
- displays soft tissue contrast at cellular level based on functional parameters (e.g.
blood volume and oxygenation) as well as structural differences
Laser
Detector
1
(a.u.)
0.5
ity
Reflected Intens
600
500
400
0
300
200
100
0
800
600
10
20
De
30
tect
or P
40
osi
50
tion
(mm
)
 Preliminary proof of concept demonstrated in animal model
 Provisional Patent (April 2006); Full patent filed (March 2007)
Pixel representation and 3-D distribution
of optical signal for live anaesthetized
mouse with two mammary tumors
400
200
0
ps)
e(
m
Ti
MARKET
PROBLEM
 Medical imaging market worth about $15B in 2006; app. 50% of the revenues garnered by the core
 What if there is a skin cancer (melanoma) and breast cancer diagnostic technique that
is painless, more accurate, less expensive, and quick?
- Early cancer detection critical
- Current testing can be time-consuming, expensive, invasive, and uncomfortable
- Currently dermatologists do multiple biopsies to detect a single case of melanoma
- Mammography screening can detect abnormal tissue growths in breast but it cannot
distinguish between benign and malignant tumors and is less effective for younger women
with dense fibrous breasts
modalities MRI, CT, x-ray, ultrasound
 US markets for breast cancer devices to grow from $1.2B in 2006 to $2.7B by 2012
 Breast biopsy devices market valued at over $300M in 2006; double digit growth over the next five years
 More than 10 million skin biopsies are performed annually in US - by far the most common biopsy
COMPETITION
SOLUTION
 Non-invasive Real-time Cancer Diagnostics
- Less expensive
- Eliminate unnecessary costly biopsies
- Comfortable
- Transportable compared to other imaging techniques
- High sensitivity, specificity, and resolution
- Fast image turnaround for patients
- Reduce the probability of missing lesions especially in the margins
compared to biopsies
Optical
Tomography
Biopsy
MRI
CT
PET
time
15 mins
4-14 days
45-60
mins
45-60
mins
75-90
mins
cost
$
$$
$$$
$$
$$$
safety
Excellent
Poor
Good
Poor
Fair
resolution
Very Good
Good
Very Good
Very Good
Good
size
Excellent
Good
Poor
Fair
Fair
SUMMARY
“A World Without Skin Biopsies”
 High sensitivity and specificity system expected to yield
Volume
Production
Concept Platform
Developer Platform
physiological and morphological information about breast tumor
with a safer, simpler, and cheaper manner compared to existing
imaging modalities
Production Version
 Conducting animal studies for safety and efficacy
 Product development partnership in place
 Completion of clinical trials through partnership
 Patent application filed (2007)