IDR-Collaborative: Quantitative 3D Optical Tomographic Microscopy for Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

1014813 Reeves A microscopic tool being developed by this team will allow quantitative absorption and fluorescence 3D imaging of cells and their organelles which can be correlated to the clinical standards of disease diagnosis for the first time. This project develops new fields of 3D quantitative microscopy in two important contrast modes that bridge a gap between clinical diagnosis and medical research. In addition, the technology of 3D image processing from quantitative CT imaging for disease diagnosis is being applied to microscopy in a unique collaboration. Textbooks of cell biology depict a cell as flat with two-dimensional features. If disease diagnosis is 3D and more quantitative and sensitive to disease onset, then these textbooks will likely change to more accurately represent the cell anatomy. Teaching students on cellular structures and functions may be significantly changed due to advancements of true 3D microscopy. Providing cytologists and molecular biologists with quantification tools will result in earlier diagnosis of lethal diseases like lung cancer and improved understanding of the disease mechanisms.