Breast cancer is one of the leading
causes of cancer deaths globally.
About one in eight US women
will develop invasive breast cancer
over the course of their lifetime.
And globally, millions of women
suffer from breast cancer every year.
But it is quite treatable
if detected early.
Right now, actually,
mammography is the gold standard
for breast cancer diagnosis.
But mammography has a 10 percent chance
of missed detection.
Thousands of lives could be lost each year
because of this 10 percent.
Today, I’m going to introduce
a new technology:
photoacoustic imaging.
As you can see,
it provides a much clearer image,
leading to a more accurate diagnosis.
It will be affordable,
just like an ultrasound scan.
It's painless and fast,
taking only 15 seconds
to scan the entire breast in 3D.
And immediate results
will be delivered to the patients.
Beyond breast imaging,
this technology will broadly transform
how we see inside our bodies --
and, maybe one day, even allow us
to diagnose cancer
via a wearable watch-like device
that monitors circulating tumor cells.
So what is photoacoustic imaging?
Based on a photoacoustic effect,
it is a conversion of light energy
into sound energy.
We shot a gentle laser pulse
onto the tissue.
The light is absorbed,
raising its temperature a bit.
The rise in temperature leads
to a tiny fraction of volume expansion,
which, in turn, generates acoustic waves.
Sensors process those sound signals,
resulting in a high-resolution image
whose level of clarity
and detail far surpasses
what you've got with traditional
CT scans or ultrasound.
Now, about me.
I started out in industrial optics,
but changed direction
after my grandparents died
of cancer and stroke.
I realized that we needed
better imaging technology
to aid early diagnosis
and to provide a better
understanding of the diseases.
So I decided to devote myself
to biomedical optical imaging.
I now research and develop
next generation medical imaging
with applications ranging
from diagnosing cancer
to mapping brain functions
and navigating medical micro robots
for drug delivery.
Here are some examples
showing what we can do.
Take this mouse.
The mouse has been virtually sliced
into 600 pieces from head to toe.
It took only 12 seconds
to complete the whole body scan.
It looks a little like a mouse carpaccio.
(Laughter)
But don't worry, no mice were hurt
during the imaging.
(Laughter)
In this next video,
we hold the animal, another mouse,
in position to image its liver.
The liver has a lot
of blood vessels inside.
You can see them as a tree-like network.
Because our imaging exposure time
is too short, only 15 microseconds,
there is no blur at all,
despite the movement of the animal
during the imaging.
The mouse is breathing normally,
and every frame in our video is clear.
With each slice we can clearly see
the internal structure
and the blood vessel network.
This enables us to differentiate
a tumor from normal tissue.
The light dose we use
is well below the safety limit,
and we don't need to inject
any contrast agents.
It is totally non-invasive.
Now, for an example,
that is a little closer to home.
This is a side by side comparison
of human brain images.
On the left, you see an image from an MRI.
On the right, from photoacoustic imaging.
Photoacoustic imaging can reveal
detailed vasculature,
but with even faster detection
of the brain functions
and without using
the costly high-magnetic field.
What you are seeing here
is the brain's activity,
where a patient, now a human this time,
taps his finger, puckers his lips,
taps his tongue and is listening
and thinking of words.
Although I don't have a visual for it,
I'd like to share one more example.
In science fiction,
micro robots enter our bodies
to cure diseases
in hard-to-reach areas.
However, in reality,
locating, guiding and controlling them
inside of the body is a big challenge.
Just like the satellites in space
guiding cars to their destinations,
a photoacoustic imaging system
outside the body
can serve similarly as a GPS
for the micro robots.
Biomedical optics has come a long way.
The microscope used every day
in modern medical diagnosis
was invented in the 17th century,
which revolutionized 19th century medicine
by letting us see into a cell.
Then, optical coherence tomography
developed in 1990s
increased optical penetration
to 1 millimeter,
bringing huge benefits to clinical care
for skin and eyes.
Now, photoacoustic imaging,
first adopted for medical
use in the 2000s,
allows us to see even more,
allowing penetration
by another order of magnitude,
to several centimeters,
allowing organ-level in vivo
human imaging.
Photoacoustic imaging is a highly-active
and a fast-growing research field.
Using microwaves instead of light,
this imaging method holds promises
for whole body penetration in humans
in the future.
We are hoping that the further
advancement of this technology
will aid early diagnosis of cancer
and brain diseases,
ultimately benefiting global health.
I hope you all can share my excitement
over this fast-growing field
and hope you'll join us
in advancing the technology.
Thank you.
(Applause)