Development of Optical Clearing Materials Towards Oral Lesion Pathology Screening with Optical Coherence Tomography

The early identification of oral cancers will help to reduce serious complications and death associated with these diseases. Currently, identification of cancerous tissues relies significantly on visual identification during oral exams before more accurate further testing is performed. The use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) has allowed for more accurate initial identification of cancerous tissues, but suffers from limitations in resolution and how far into tissues can be analyzed. We propose to develop methods and techniques to allow deeper and clearer imaging into oral tissues to allow for more accurate identification of early-stage cancerous tissues. This will involve the development of materials that can be applied to the gum tissues to allow for better imaging into the tissues, as well as modifications of the OCT system and image processing techniques to improve depth and clarity of images.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ozzy Mermut

Student:

Christopher Schruder

Partner:

LiveVue Technologies

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

York University