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Photomedicine Institute
- The Photomedicine Institute
is dedicated to harnessing the energy
of light to obtain diagnostic information
about the skin as well to treat the
skin.
- The laboratory is part of the Skin
Care Centre at Vancouver General Hospital
(VGH) and the UBC Department of dermatology.
Background
- From an optical point of view,
the skin is an inhomogeneous, multi-layered,
turbid medium.
- When light interacts with tissue,
it is scattered, absorbed and re-emitted.
- Understanding these interactions
as well as the optical properties of
tissue
is critical for generating biological effects
and therapeutic applications.
- These
interactions are determined by the
chemical composition, morphological
structure, and physiological state
of the tissue.
- Pathological changes in tissue therefore
affects the re-emitted optical
signals, which lead to a multitude
of non-invasive
clinical diagnosis and assessment
of treatment methods.
Technologies Employed for Diagnostic
Applications
- Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy
and Multi-spectral Imaging, which explores
elastic light scattering and light
absorption by skin chromophores such
as melanin,
hemoglobin, bilirubin, and water.
- Fluorescence
Spectroscopy and Imaging, which explores
molecular electronic
energy transition-related light emission of
certain cutaneous molecules such as
tyrosine, tryptophan, NADH, collagen, and elastin.
- Raman Spectroscopy, which
explores inelastic light scattering
to give fingerprint-like
spectral signatures of molecular vibrations.
Molecules in skin that have unique
Raman signatures include proteins, DNA, lipids,
glucose, and melanin.
- Multiphoton and
Confocal Microscopy, which provides
3-dimensional sectional
images of the skin at sub-micron spatial
resolution, allowing us to visualize
cellular structures and micro-circulation
in real time in patients directly.
- Laser Speckle Imaging, which analyzes
interference patterns from light reflected
off skin surfaces.
- Nanophotonics, which
involves the application of nanotechnologies
to enhance light-tissue
interactions for diagnostic and therapeutic
applications: e.g. using metal nanoparticle
based SERS (surface enhanced Raman
scattering) spectroscopy for diagnostics and developing
nanoparticle based photothermal therapy.
- Dermoscopic and optical imaging,
which provides surface and subsurface
(epidermis)
clinical diagnostic features for
skin conditions.
Therapeutic Applications under Research
and Development:
- Ultraviolet Phototherapy.
- Laser Surgery.
- Photodynamic Therapy.
- Two-Photon
Excitation.
Who We Are
Dr. Harvey Lui, director
- Professor
and Chairman, Department of Dermatology
and Skin Science, UBC.
Dr. Haishan Zeng,
principal investigator
- An
expert on biomedical optics.
- Author
and co-author of numerous
publications and 18 patents on
optical diagnosis and
therapy.
Dr. Tim Lee, principal
investigator
- Studying
medical image analysis techniques and
optical methods for early detection
of melanoma.
- Investigating methods of using
consumer-graded digital cameras
for
precise scientific
measurements.
Dr. David McLean, principal
investigator
- Professor of Dermatology with a special
interest in photomedicine research
and clinical application.
- Former V-P Research at the Vancouver
General Hospital, former Sr.
Assoc. Dean Research, Faculty of
Medicine, UBC.
Dr. Jianhua Zhao, research
associate
Dr. Lioudmila Tchvialeva,
research associate
Dr. Bernardita Ortiz-Policarpio,
clinical research fellow
- Dermatology specialist
with extensive experience
in dermatology
and skin
photobiology
Dr. Sunil Kalia, Dermatology
Resident
- A
senior dermatology resident and recently
has finished a
Masters in
healthcare and epidemiology.
- Currently examining the near-infrared
fluorescence pattern
of melanin.
Dr. Michael Chen, collaborator
Dr. Anthony Lee, post-doctoral fellow
- Researching and developing multiphoton
microscopic skin imaging
tools for early skin cancer diagnosis,
detection, and
treatment.
Mr. Wei Zhang, research assistant
- Collects
clinical data from patients and volunteers
- Designs, implements
and maintains
research databases
Mrs. Tracy (Hequn) Wang, Master student,
Interdisciplinary
Oncology Program, UBC
- Studying
novel optical techniques
for early
detection of
skin cancer and other
skin diseases.
- Mainly focusing
on Raman spectroscopy
and confocal
imaging methods.
Mrs. Nancy (Naiyan) Huang
Mr. Edward Yu
Mr. Shuang Wang
Mr. Nima Bastani, MSc student, Computing
Science,
SFU
Mr. Paul Wighton, PhD student, Computing
Science,
SFU
- Studying
medical imaging
analysis with
a focus on
automated melanoma
diagnosis.
- Investigating
methods
to automatically
identify/quantify dermoscopic
structures.
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