Our research focuses on the development of optical techniques for the early diagnosis and prognosis of tissue pathologies.

In our clinically oriented research we use a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to investigate ovarian cancer. Currently, we apply spectroscopic techniques during surgery and conduct non linear microscopic on in-vitro tissue cultures.

To understand the biology of extracellular matrix degradation we investigate the optical signature of the collagen matrix in a cultured environment with spectrofluorimetry and multiphoton microscopy. In particular the effects of angiogenesis are studied using second harmonic generation and engoneous fluorescence emission for redox assessments.

In a collaborative project on imaging the mouse colon, we develop a miniaturized fiberoptic imaging system and novel tomographic and spectroscopic data analysis and management tools.

Endogenous optical signatures have diagnostic and prognostic potential, however as background they confine molecular imaging techniques. Hence it is our goal to study those biosignatures for a variety of applications.

Our instrumentation is regularly used during endoscopic surgery and we culture biopsies obtained during these surgeries for microscopic analysis.

We have adapted our collaborators angioenesis model for miroscopy and investigate vessle sprouting and matureation with techniques related to metabolism, matrix integrity and morphology.

The research group’s vision is to develop new technologies for tissue assessment that will increase performance of diagnosis and prognosis, that are cost-effective, and that will increase access to health care. To achieve this goal the laboratory

• designs and tests custom imaging and spectroscopy devices for the clinic,
• develops multispectral microscopy techniques,
• creates biophysical models for optical data analyses and
• develops tissue, cell and matrix models.