Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging for Intraoperative Tumor Delineation in Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal

TUESDAY, Jan 14th at 9:00 AM, GBSF 2202

Brent Weyers is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Laura Marcu’s laboratory group in Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis. Brent received his B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering. Brent’s research seeks to promote the better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of human diseases through clinical advancements in biophotonics technology - a field at the interface of physical sciences, engineering, biology, and medicine. His research capitalizes on multispectral Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (ms-FLIm) as a modality for real-time intraoperative delineation of pre-resected tumor margins and in situ pathology diagnostics. The goal of this work is to enhance the speed and accuracy of transoral robotic surgical procedures by allowing surgeons to detect tumor margins in situ with fluorescence lifetime surface mapping so clinicians can better completely resect tumors while preserving functional and healthy native tissue. Another focus of this work is to perform ex vivo characterization of resected tumors to evaluate the efficacy of this optical method for performing pathology assessments. Brent’s longer-term ambition is to promote the development and commercialization of impactful medical technology which promotes health at the point-of-care.