Boston Chapter of the IEEE Photonics Society

Abstract:  Recent advances in optical technologies have made in situ optical pathology technically feasible. Complementary techniques including reflectance, fluorescence and fluorescence polarization imaging are capable of providing real-time detailed information on tissue spectral responses and morphological appearance. However, for successful clinical adoption, these techniques should demonstrate accuracy, resolution and contrast comparable to those of histopathology. In this lecture I will discuss the development and clinical applications of optical imaging and spectroscopy in the context of facilitating in situ optical biopsy. In particular, clinical requirements, theoretical basis, instrumentation, data-acquisition techniques and image-processing algorithms for multi-spectral polarization, fluorescence and reflectance imaging and spectroscopy will be considered. Translation of the research from bench top laboratory development and testing to clinical implementation and evaluation will be discussed.

Biography:  Anna Yaroslavsky graduated summa cum laude from Saratov State University, Russia, in 1990 with Masters Degree in Physics. Between 1990 and 1999, she conducted research at Twente University in Enschede (The Netherlands), Heinrich-Heine University in Dusseldorf (Germany), and Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport, LA (USA). During that time, she pioneered development of individualized, image-based methods of laser dosimetry and planning for brain tumor treatment, formulated concept and implemented full inverse Monte Carlo technique for reconstruction of tissue optical properties, and investigated light scattering by complex biological structures. In 1999, she earned PhD degree in Biophysics from Saratov State University. In 2000, she joined Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Harvard Medical School, where she progressed from Instructor to Assistant Professor. Her research at Wellman Center concentrated on the development of combined polarization, fluorescence and elastic scattering methods for diagnostics of cancers. In 2010, Anna accepted position of Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts. She published extensively in top-tier international journals and authored several international patents. She serves as a reviewer on various NIH panels and has been elected fellow of ASLMS.