Dr. Bruce Tromberg, University of , Irvine Developing Quantitative Label-free Optical Imaging for Clinical Oncology Abstract: Optical microscopy, spectroscopy and imaging technologies can be designed to provide quantitative, dynamic information about cellular and tissue metabolism, molecular composition, and structure. They are widely employed to study cancer-related processes in cells, engineered tissues, and pre-clinical animal models. Although there is significant potential for translating advanced optical technologies to the clinic, outside of conventional visualization and guidance, there is relatively little widespread use of optics and photonics in clinical oncology. Barriers to clinical translation and adoption include cost, complexity, and information content that can be difficult to interpret and understand by clinicians. In addition, many pre-clinical optics and photonics studies employ exogenous contrast agents that are not readily translatable to patients. In order to address these limitations we have focused on the development of two label-free technologies, Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) and Diffuse Optical Spectroscopic Imaging (DOSI), for skin and breast cancer, respectively, that rely on intrinsic signal near infrared (NIR) light-tissue interactions. MPM utilizes ultra-fast NIR to generate 3D, near real-time microscopic images of living tissues. Contrast is derived from non-linear processes, primarily two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) of endogenous biomolecules. DOSI probes centimeter-thick tissues using broadband spatially- and temporally- modulated NIR light and model-based analysis. DOSI is capable of dynamic in vivo functional imaging of various optical and physiological properties based on bulk tissue perfusion, metabolism, and biochemical composition. MPM and DOSI imaging endpoints including the “multiphoton melanoma index (MMI)” and the “tissue optical index (TOI)” have been developed in order to characterize skin and breast cancers, respectively. Each is designed to incorporate key molecular, structural, and metabolic features of cancer that can be used to guide clinical decision-making. Clinical study results will be shown highlighting the performance and validation of these methods for differential diagnosis and predicting chemotherapy response. These findings will be placed in the context of conventional imaging and histopathology in order to assess the current and future role of intrinsic signal optical imaging in personalized oncology. Bio: Dr. Tromberg is the Director of the Beckman Institute and Medical Clinic (BLI) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and principal investigator of the Laser Microbeam and Medical Program (LAMMP), an NIH National Biomedical Technology Research Center. He is a Professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery, co-leads the Onco-imaging and Biotechnology Program in UCI’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and has been a member of the BLI faculty since 1990. His research interests are in the development of quantitative, broadband technologies for characterizing and imaging tissue structure, function and composition across spatial scales. He has pioneered model-based methods that utilize spatially and temporally modulated light sources for diffuse optical spectroscopy and imaging, non-linear optical microscopy, and multi-modality imaging.