There is wide interest in developing optical tools to study and diagnose disease in humans since optical approaches can potentially offer minimally invasive molecular contrast at relatively low cost, which is increasingly important as healthcare costs continue to grow. However, this is challenging because optical accessibility is much more limited than is the case for cell biology or even preclinical studies and the use of exogenous labels to improve molecular contrast is not desirable and usually not permissible. In this clinical context, the benefits of label-free techniques are self-evident and we are particularly interested in the opportunities afforded by imaging and/or metrology of autofluorescence, for which we are developing and testing new technology to obtain quantitative readouts of changes in tissue properties associated with disease. This includes our programmes in endoscopy and clinical microscopy.

The following are some specific topics or projects that we have addressed in clinical studies as part of our mission to detect or study the progression of disease:

Clinical Studies