The objective of the MEDPHOT program is to develop and validate new optical biomarkers that are needed to realize earlier diagnosis, improved treatment and better quality of life in areas that will drive health care costs in the future: Oncology, Asthma and Neurodegeneration.
The new optical biomarkers encompass peripheral retinal morphology, autofluorescence and scattering, tissue structure by 3-D Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), polarization, birefringence and optical axis uniformity to visualize smooth muscles, nerves and fibrous structures, and foremost targeted fluorescence with labeled monoclonal antibodies (mAb’s), providing molecular contrast for proteins and receptors that indicate function in chronic diseases or the composition of the tumor microenvironment.
The central scientific challenge in the program is to overcome the lack of discriminative ability of optical imaging that only relies on morphology. The proposed molecular imaging approach targets and “highlights” areas of disease based on pathological characteristics, such as enhanced protein and extracellular vesicles expression or increased receptor expression on cell membranes in the tumor and tissue microenvironment. The goal is to develop the optical analogue of PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging with a 10-100 fold higher resolution. Only imaging techniques can provide in vivo real time diagnostic information, and only optical techniques can provide resolution on the (near) cellular level. The program is composed of projects that address a specific disease or organ to evaluate new biomarkers in pilot studies, and projects that develop the necessary underlying imaging technology and data processing. Each project in MEDPHOT consequently has scientific challenges with clear links with the general goal of the program and with other interconnected projects.