Breakthrough in Noninvasive Imaging Targets Deeper Tissue Insights
A University of Arizona research team has received nearly $2.7 million from the NIH’s Common Fund Venture Program to push the boundaries of noninvasive optical imaging. Led by Florian Willomitzer, associate professor of optical sciences, and Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski of the U of A Comprehensive Cancer Center, the group is among just four nationwide selected for the initiative, which aims to transform how clinicians visualize living tissues without surgery.
The funded project centers on advancing next-generation imaging technologies that can peer deeper into biological tissues—such as skin and soft tissue lining—while delivering sharper contrast. The goal is to enable clinicians to assess tumor invasion and monitor treatment response more accurately, potentially improving outcomes for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
How Synthetic Wavelength Imaging Enables Deeper, Clearer Views
The team’s approach relies on synthetic wavelength imaging (SWI). SWI uses two separate illumination wavelengths to computationally generate a virtual, longer wavelength. This synthetic wavelength is more resistant to light scattering in tissue, allowing clearer signals from deeper layers. Meanwhile, researchers still leverage the higher-contrast information provided by the original illumination wavelengths. The combination can offer a favorable balance of depth penetration, resolution, and contrast—without the need for invasive procedures.
“Synthetic wavelength imaging’s resilience to scattering in deep tissue while preserving high tissue contrast at the optical carrier wavelengths is a rare combination,” Willomitzer stated. “By pairing this property with advanced computational evaluation algorithms, our approach aims to break free from the conventional resolution-depth-contrast tradeoff.”
Clinical Relevance: From Diagnosis to Real-Time Treatment Monitoring
Curiel-Lewandrowski notes that current imaging tools for skin cancer, such as confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography, perform well at shallow depths but falter as light scatters in deeper tissue. Longer-wavelength methods can reach deeper layers but often sacrifice resolution or contrast. The project’s tunable imaging capability seeks to optimize depth penetration, resolution, and diagnostic confidence in a single platform.
“From a translational standpoint, this limitation is particularly important,” she explained. “Patients with nonmelanoma skin cancers present with lesions that vary widely in size, depth, and invasion patterns. We need imaging that can accurately define tumor margins at diagnosis and reliably monitor how lesions respond to noninvasive therapies.”
From Lab Bench to Clinic: The Path Forward
The NIH initiative, Advancing Non-Invasive Optical Imaging Approaches for Biological Systems, targets technologies that illuminate biological structures from single cells to broader tissue features while enabling rapid observation of dynamic processes. The aim is to improve early detection, refine cellular and tissue health assessments, and advance noninvasive procedures that could reduce surgical interventions.
The U of A team envisions translating synthetic wavelength imaging into clinical practice, enabling earlier detection of invasive lesions, precise margin assessment, and real-time treatment monitoring. Such capabilities could also inform personalized care by tailoring intervention duration and dosing to individual patients.
Co-investigator Jennifer Barton, holder of the Thomas R. Brown distinguished chair in biomedical engineering, emphasized the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration. The project brings together health sciences, engineering, and optical sciences, illustrating the kind of integrated effort that can accelerate practical imaging breakthroughs.
Looking Ahead
If successful, the researchers hope to inaugurate a clinical demonstration of synthetic wavelength imaging for nonmelanoma skin cancers. Beyond dermatology, the tunable, high-contrast, deep-imaging approach could unlock new pathways for detecting breast cancer or imaging brain tissue where scattering has traditionally limited visibility.
With milestones underway and funds contingent on progress, the Arizona team remains focused on delivering a transformative, noninvasive imaging modality that could redefine how clinicians visualize living tissue and guide cancer care in real time.
