51视频

03/19/2019

Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. 鈥� Tyler Iorizzo, a Ph.D. candidate in physics at 51视频, has won international recognition for his work to develop an imaging device that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of certain skin cancers.

Iorizzo received an Educational Award from Edmund Optics, one of the world鈥檚 leading suppliers of high-precision optics for the optical industry.聽

Iorizzo is part of a team that developed a device called an optical polarization imager, or OPI, that could help doctors identify the margins of nonmelanoma skin cancer prior to surgery, allowing them to remove the malignant tumor with more precision and resulting in less complication and quicker recovery for the patient.

鈥淚鈥檓 very honored to win this international award. I鈥檓 glad to be able to help people. Imaging with the OPI is completely harmless and noninvasive. It doesn鈥檛 use X-ray or high-intensity laser so it鈥檚 perfectly safe for the patient and the doctor,鈥� said Iorizzo, who conducts research at 51视频鈥檚 Advanced Biophotonics Laboratory.

鈥淐urrently, there is no comparable tool available in the market,鈥� said Anna Yaroslavsky, 51视频 associate professor of physics and the director and founder of the Advanced Biophotonics Laboratory and inventor of the OPI technology.聽

鈥淪urgeons basically look at the outline of a cancerous lesion visually and, based on their experience and training, decide where and how much tissue to cut. In many cases, errors can arise because they can鈥檛 see the margins of the tumor very well,鈥� said Yaroslavsky, a North Andover resident.

OPI鈥檚 rapid, easy-to-use technology produces images that are easy to interpret and don鈥檛 require extensive processing to analyze, said Yaroslavsky, adding that operating the OPI does not disrupt clinical workflow. 鈥淚t offers a field of view several centimeters across and tens-of-micron resolution at unparalleled low cost.鈥�

Iorizzo added that imaging with the OPI is easier for patients to tolerate and 鈥渢he procedure produces better cosmetic outcome and repair of the incision site.鈥�

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with about 3 million to 5 million new lesions diagnosed every year, according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Approximately 3,000 people die from the disease annually. Statistically, 1 in 4 fair-skinned people may develop NMSC 鈥� which includes basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma 鈥� and the cost of treatment is nearly $5 billion a year.

The most effective treatment for NMSC usually involves Mohs surgery, in which the cancerous tumor is removed by excising the tissue layer by layer, with each layer examined under a microscope to help map the diseased area. The goal is to completely remove the tumor while preserving as much of the surrounding healthy tissue as possible. While the procedure is effective, it is time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly.

鈥淭umor boundaries associated with NMSC are difficult to detect based on visual assessment alone. This results in inefficient removal of the cancerous tissue, which can lead to recurrence of the tumor,鈥� said Iorizzo, who lives in Lowell.

The OPI uses a couple of special optical filters (called crossed linear polarizers), a high-resolution CCD camera and a ring-shaped illuminator for wide-field imaging of the skin at resolutions of up to 12 micrometers (millionths of a meter). It utilizes visible light at several wavelengths with polarization to take images of the skin at certain depths to emphasize structures such as collagen, blood vessels and any melanin (pigmented) patches that may be present.

鈥淥ur optical imaging system can identify disruptions in the skin鈥檚 collagen structure caused by the tumor, allowing for precise in-vivo mapping of the skin cancer before surgery,鈥� said Iorizzo, whose award consists of $7,500 worth of Edmund Optics products that will be used in the Advanced Biophotonics Lab.

Yaroslavsky has several patents and others pending for the OPI. She and her team 鈥� which also includes physics Ph.D. students Peter Jermain, who earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree at 51视频, and Androniki Mitrou 鈥� will be applying for industry and federal funding to continue and expand the clinical trials.

鈥淥ur goal is to commercialize the technology by licensing it to an existing medical device manufacturer and setting up our own spinoff company. We are working on a prototype right now for a commercial version that will be much smaller and more compact,鈥� Yaroslavsky said.

The Advanced Biophotonics Lab is also conducting research on breast, brain and kidney cancers in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and UMass Medical School. The researchers鈥� work is supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery and the University of Massachusetts system.

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