Translational Potential of Optical Polarization Imaging

In this webinar hosted by the Polarization Management and Propagation Technical Group, Anna Yaroslavsky will give a brief overview of the translational research conducted at the Advanced Biophotonics Laboratory at UMASS Lowell and focus on the development of the quantitative optical methods for the detection of human pathology and aging.

Even though the use of light in medicine has a long history, histopathology remains the mainstay for assessing tissue morphology and diagnosing diseases. Nondestructive quantitative optical imaging offers the unique advantage of evaluating the details of tissue morphology and biochemistry safely and rapidly, and may aid in the diagnosis and selective targeting of pathology.

In particular, Yaroslavsky is developing polarization sensitive reflectance and fluorescence imaging methods that can be used for the wide-field rapid noninvasive interrogation of live tissues as well as for the high-resolution detection of pathological changes at the cellular level. Applications of these modalities for detecting various cancers as well as for characterizing photo damage of skin will be covered. Other potential benefits and future avenues of developments of these technologies will be discussed.

Subject Matter Level: Intermediate - Assumes basic knowledge of the topic

What You Will Learn:
• Physics of reflectance and fluorescence polarization optical imaging
• Requirements to the optical technologies for clinical translation
• Potential of the optical polarization imaging in the context of various diagnostic methods

Who Should Attend:
• Undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, scientists from various disciplines, e.g. physicists, chemists, engineers, biomedical scientists, and clinicians.

About the Presenter: Anna N. Yaroslavsky from University of Massachusetts at Lowell

Anna Yaroslavsky is Professor of Physics and Director of the Advanced Biophotonics Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She is also a visiting scientist at the Department of Dermatology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Research at ABL focuses on the development of methods for light dosimetry and explores multi-modal approaches for functional and structural characterization of biological tissues. As a visiting scientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Anna conducts translational research aimed at the development of optical methods for pathology detection and treatment monitoring. Dr. Yaroslavsky publishes extensively in top-tier international journals and has authored several patents. She serves as a reviewer on several NIH and NSF panels and has been elected fellow member of SPIE and Optica. More information about research conducted at ABL can be found at https://sites.uml.edu/abl/