2019 Research Grant Recipients
Zeinab Hajjarian, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School
Supporting ASLMS Member: R. Rox Anderson, MD
“Identifying an Early Mechanbo-biomarker of Metastasis Risk in Breast Carcinoma Using Laser Speckle Micro-rheology of the Tumor Extra-Cellular Matrix”
Our goal is to exploit a novel optical approach for micro-mechanical imaging of the breast tumor tissue and for developing an early mechano-biomarker of metastasis risk in patients.
Rong Yin, PhD
University of South Carolina School of Medicine
Supporting ASLMS Member: J. Stuart Nelson, MD, PhD
“Targeting Port Wine Stain Blood Vessels by Endothelial Optical Exosomes”
The purpose of this seed grant aims at engineering novel endothelial exosome-derived optical nanoparticles for treatment of Port wine stain (PWS), which can be ultimately developed as a personalized precision photodynamic therapy (PDT) for congenital vascular malformations (CVM).
2019 Student Research Grant Recipients
Jusleen Ahluwalia, MD
UC San Diego
Supporting ASLMS Member: Arisa E. Ortiz, MD
“Topical Tranexamic Acid Versus Fractional Drug Delivery of Tranexamic Acid for the Treatment of Melasma”
We hypothesize that the fractional Er:YAG delivery of TA 5% cream would result in a greater decrease in MASI scores when compared with topical TA alone given its multitargeted approach with efficient drug delivery, and anti-tyrosinase activity of TA. Because the cutaneous absorption of the Er:YAG laser by water is more efficient than the CO2 laser, the Er:YAG laser has potential for less thermal damage and thus decreased risk to develop post-inflammatory hypopigmentation. We hypothesize that this combination approach will provide an effective, long-term treatment option for patients suffering from melasma.
Jason Chen
The Regents of the University of California
Supporting ASLMS Member: Brian J.F. Wong, MD, PhD
“Quantification of Symptomatic Vitreous Floaters Using Optical Coherence Tomography”
We first aim to utilize VCSEL as the light source to achieve near full-depth imaging of the vitreous body for the quantification of floater geometry. Secondly, we will address the challenges associated with increasing imaging ranges, namely increased dispersion and limited depth of focus.
Neera Nathan, MD
Massachusetts General
Supporting ASLMS Member: Molly Wanner, MD, MBA
“The clinical, microscopic and molecular effects of ablative fractional CO2 laser-assisted drug delivery of collagenase on striae distensae”
We hypothesize that ablative fractional CO2 laser-assisted drug delivery of collagenase will improve the appearance of striae distensae more than ablative fractional CO2 laser alone. We propose that the mechanism of clinical improvement will be secondary to potentiated remodeling of dermal collagen, elastin and extracellular matrix components by this combination treatment, as evidenced by microscopic and molecular markers of normalization of collagen, elastin, fibrillin, MMPs and TGF-β.
Tri Quang
The University of Iowa
Supporting ASLMS Member: Yang Liu, PhD
“Real-time Tissue Perfusion Assessment Using Fluorescence Imaging Topography Scanning System”
The objective of this proposal is to develop a clinically useful FITS system for intraoperative blood perfusion and assessment, and to evaluate the feasibility of the developed FITS prototype for real-time visualization of vascular flow in small animal models.
Amanda Rosenthal, MD
Moy-Fincher-Chipps Facial Plastics & Dermatology
Supporting ASLMS Member: Ronald Moy, MD
“Effects of 2,940-nm Fractional Ablative Erbium and Topical DNA Repair Enzymes on p53 Epidermal Expression After 3 months: A Comparative Clinical Trial”
The objective of this study is to compare the impact of topical DNA repair enzymes, specifically T4 Endonuclease V, and laser resurfacing with the 2,940nm fractional erbium on epidermal p53 expression.
Travis Sawyer
University of Arizona
Supporting ASLMS Member: Jennifer Kehlet Barton, PhD
“Combined Optical Coherence Tomography and Autofluorescence Imaging for Screening of Early-stage Esophageal Cancer”
The ultimate outcome of this study is to determine the diagnostic potential of combined OCT-AFI for disease screening. If positive, this could create a new paradigm for esophageal tissue assessment, reducing the number of biopsies necessary to successfully identify a case of early-stage cancer. In addition, given the clinically-translatable design, a positive result will motivate the pursuit of an RO1 grant to conduct a clinical trial.