Despite advances in microsurgery, it can still be difficult to tell if a skin cancer has been entirely removed without a follow up biopsy, which could require a patient to come back for a second operation.
But what if the biopsy could be performed noninvasively as part of the initial procedure, so the surgeon would know immediately whether additional cancerous tissue needed to be removed?
A novel optical device to do just that moved a step closer to commercialization recently. , a 人妻少妇专区 spinoff, was one of 10 startups to advance to the next phase of a competition sponsored by the accelerator .
The company received an investment of $100,000 from the accelerator. It will now compete with the nine other finalists for the top prize: A $1 million additional investment, to be announced in June. The accelerator, based in Rochester and funded by New York State, is focused on advancing next generation optics, photonics, and imaging companies.
鈥淭his is our first outside investment,鈥� says company president Cristina Canavesi. She co-founded LighTopTech in 2013 with her PhD advisor, , the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering at the University. Rolland is the company鈥檚 chief technology officer.
鈥淒uring the past four years we鈥檝e completely re-engineered the prototype, and we recently completed all of the hardware development of our product, so we are now ready to launch the commercialization effort, especially targeting medical applications,鈥� Canavesi says.
An 鈥榦ptical biopsy鈥�
Rolland first conceived of the idea for the device 11 years ago after experiencing a biopsy and learning about the risks involved. About the same time, a technique called optical coherence tomography was coming into wide use to obtain images inside tissues.
鈥淔or me, it really connected the dots,鈥� Rolland says. 鈥淚f we could do an optical biopsy noninvasively it would eliminate the risks. The (OCT) images were kind of low resolution and noisy, so my first goal was to produce images of a higher definition.鈥�
The portable device she and Canavesi have developed can render high-resolution images of cells just below the surface of living tissues such as skin or the cornea.
鈥淲e can provide the same kind of images at the cellular level as histology (biopsied cells stained and viewed through a microscope). But there鈥檚 no cutting and it鈥檚 done right at the time of the surgery,鈥� Canavesi says.
At the heart of the technology is a biomimetic (bioinspired) microscope with a liquid lens. It can refocus at different depths inside a sample to obtain high-definition, three-dimensional聽images of materials.
The technology has proven its effectiveness in two clinical trials at the University鈥檚 Medical Center. For example, the device was used by Sherrif Ibrahim, an assistant professor of dermatology, to determine the margins of skin cancer prior to surgical removal.
鈥淲e were impressed with its ability to differentiate between skin cancer and normal skin,鈥� says Ibrahim. 鈥淭his may aid us in more accurate and efficient surgical treatment of skin cancer, particularly those in cosmetically sensitive areas such as the face.鈥�
The device could be used for several other medical applications鈥攆or example, imaging the cornea of the eye to detect and monitor nerve loss that results from diabetes, Rolland noted.
It could also be used to obtain images beneath the surface of fabricated materials, to monitor the quality of the manufacturing process, thus improving quality and yield.
An unexpected journey
Canavesi and Rolland say they never expected to embark on this journey.
鈥淲e had no plan originally to be entrepreneurs,鈥� Rolland says. 鈥淢y only plan has been to get the technology we have been developing out into the world.鈥�
Says Canavesi: 鈥淲e had this technology in the lab that we were really excited about, but our thinking was 鈥榳e鈥檙e scientists; we don鈥檛 want to start a company.鈥欌��
Initially, they tried licensing the technology to companies. However, advanced discussions with two companies eventually proved fruitless.
鈥淏y that point, we felt the technology was ready to go, so we said 鈥楲et鈥檚 do it,鈥欌�� Canavesi says.
Also by that point, Canavesi had participated in the National Science Foundation鈥檚 I-Corps program, which teaches university faculty to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research. It also offers entrepreneurship training.
She had also completed the program, offered jointly by the Simon Business School and the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
鈥淐ristina had developed some real interest in entrepreneurship,鈥� Rolland says. 鈥淭he timing was perfect.鈥�
鈥楢 huge learning experience鈥�
Originally, Rolland was able to demonstrate the capability of the approach in a full prototype with funding from the NYSTAR Foundation. She received the funding as a career award when she joined the 人妻少妇专区 in 2009.
Subsequently, more than $1 million in NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding enabled her and Canavesi to accelerate the development of their technology and address all the engineering aspects of the system.
They also have benefited from their participation in , a University-affiliated, nonprofit business incubator.
LighTopTech has been housed with other startups at HTR鈥檚 Lennox TEC facility, which offers workshops, advice on fundraising, regular meetings with entrepreneurs in residence, and access to a first prototype lab.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great space because the HTR staff is available for mentoring and making connections that have been really helpful for us, especially because we haven鈥檛 run a business before,鈥� Canavesi says. 鈥淓verything has been a huge learning experience.鈥�
Canavesi and Rolland also have benefited from the close proximity of the University鈥檚 Medical Center to the Institute of Optics, just a five-minute walk away on the River 人妻少妇专区. Being able to collaborate on clinical trials, for example, 鈥渉as been tremendously helpful for accelerating the application of our product,鈥� Canavesi says.
A good team
But above all, Canavesi and Rolland have benefited from each other鈥檚 strengths.
Canavesi praises Rolland鈥檚 energy and cutting-edge vision as a researcher.
鈥淚 was very fortunate in joining Professor Rolland鈥檚 group. Through this journey I鈥檝e been constantly inspired by her as a scientist and also as a woman in science promoting women engineers,鈥� Canavesi says.
Rolland praises Canavesi as a quick learner who is adept with both hardware and software, and 鈥渆xtremely rigorous.鈥�
鈥淪he can think of a process and really manage that process very well to ensure we have very high quality.鈥�
Adds Rolland: 鈥淲e are very different, but we have a deep respect for each other.鈥�
At the LighTopTech website, they proudly identify their company as 鈥渨oman-owned.鈥� That in itself is noteworthy given the continuing underrepresentation of women in engineering and technical fields.
鈥淭o have two women scientists as cofounders of a company is unusual,鈥� Rolland says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantastic example for other women to realize their potential as well.鈥�
