Collaborative Projects

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Hasan, Tayyaba, Massachusetts General Hospital

Grant number:  R01CA231606

Project period dates:  04/19/21 - 03/31/26

Associated with: TRD2,TRD3

The CP has developed a novel theranostic agent for oral cancers.  The CP will be able to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of their dual function construct in the oral cavity of live mice.  This advance will enable in vivo uptake and pharmacokinetics of their novel theranostic agent to be evaluated in orthotopic tumors using intravenous administration.

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R PhD, Rice University

Grant number:  R01CA252245

Project period dates:  07/01/21 – 06/30/26

Associated with:  TRD1, TRD2

A reusable video capsule is being developed as a low cost solution for less experienced providers to perform high‐resolution cancer surveillance in community‐based (US) and low‐resource (global) settings. The CP will be able to markedly reduce the dimensions of a video capsule by replacing a bulky electromagnetic motor with a parametric resonance scanner.  Swallowing will become much easier, and patient compliance with cancer surveillance will increase in community‐based and low‐resource settings.

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Herzog, Erik PhD, Washington University at St. Louis

Grant number:  R01NS121161

Project period dates:  12/01/21 – 11/31/26

Associated with: TRD2, TRD3

Neurons in the motor cortex are now known to synchronize with daily cycles of glucocorticoid release.  However, the precise mechanism that stimulates hormone secretion is unclear. The CP will be able to monitor brain cell activities in freely behaving rather than immobilized mice.  This advance will generate more relevant in vivo data to elucidate the precise mechanisms that result in stimulation of glucocorticoid release to determine daily circadian rhythms.

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Chen, Wei, University of Oklahoma

Grant number:  R01CA269897

Project period dates:  04/01/22 – 03/31/27

Associated with:  TRD2, TRD3

Pancreatic cancers are very challenging to treat because of poor drug permeability.  The CP has developed a novel therapy that combines ablative photothermal therapy with administration of local immunostimulants to induce a tumor-specific immune response, including infiltration, activation, and proliferation of T-cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The CP will be able to visualize cell-cell interactions in the pancreatic TME over time following administration of therapy.  This advance will be able to track position, behavior, and movement of individual cells to provide new opportunities to design effective immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer.

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Rosenthal, Eben MD, Vanderbilt University

Grant number:  R01CA266233

Project period dates:  08/01/22 – 07/31/27

Associated with: TRD2, TRD3

Surgical resection of cancer requires clean tumor margins to reduce risk for local recurrence, decrease patient morbidity, and increase overall disease-free survival.  EGFR is commonly overexpressed in squamous cell carcinoma of the head & neck, and contributes to cancer cell proliferation, survival, and metastases. The CP will be able to detect in vivo uptake of panitumumab-IRDye800CW by head & neck tumor cells with tissue depths >20 mm.  This advance will enable more complete surgical resection of the tumor margin to reduce risk for local recurrence, decrease patient morbidity, and increase disease-free survival.

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Gibbs, Summer PhD, Oregon Health Science University

Grant number:  R01NS129121

Project period dates:  12/01/22 – 11/30/27

Source of funds:  TRD2, TRD3

Surgeons must exercise extreme caution to avoid damage to vital nerve structures.  Injury to cranial nerves, in particular, can lead to debilitating sensory deficits, motor dysfunction, and phantom pain.  The CP is developing oxazine-based contrast agents that accumulate specifically in nerve structures, and can be used in real time during surgery to visualize cranial nerve anatomy. The CP will be able to characterize in vivo uptake and pharmacokinetics of their oxazine-based contrast agents by cranial nerves with tissue depths >20 mm.  This advance will enable surgeons to have greater visualization of nerve structures and avoid injury during resection. 

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Rajadhyaksha, Milind PhD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering

Grant number:  R01CA275789

Project period dates:  08/15/23 – 07/31/28

Associated with:  TRD1, TRD2

The CP is developing a handheld reflectance confocal microscope (RCM) as a low cost solution to screen for oral cancer in patients in developing countries.  Scanning is performed using a bulky galvo located in the handle, and results in a scan head (red arrow) with dimensions of 16×13×29 cm3 and weight >1.5 lbs. The CP will be able to markedly reduce the size and weight of their confocal microendoscope.  This advance will enable providers in developing countries to have greater access in tight spaces of the oral cavity and improve effectiveness for low-cost cancer screening at the point-of-care.

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Shaoting Lin, PhD, Michigan State University

Grant number:  NSE CMMI 2516178

Project period dates:  09/01/25 – 08/30/28

Associated with:  TRD1, TRD2, TRD3

Early-stage gastric cancers are difficult to detect using conventional endoscopic imaging because they often lack strong visual contrast and are primarily distinguished by subtle differences in tissue stiffness, curvature, and mechanical heterogeneity. This collaboration enables translation of a novel class of AI-powered tactile sensing technologies into endoscopic platforms for minimally invasive, in situ tissue characterization. Integration with P41 infrastructure provides access to advanced imaging systems, preclinical validation models, and quantitative analysis pipelines that are not available at Michigan State University alone. This work establishes a new paradigm for combining optical and mechanical contrast in endoscopy, with the potential to significantly improve early detection and characterization of gastric and gastrointestinal lesions.

Collaborating Investigator/Institution: Wei Li, PhD, SUNY Stony Brook 

Grant number:  NSE CMMI 2438535

Project period dates:  09/01/25 – 08/30/28

Associated with:  TRD1, TRD2

Current endoscopic imaging modalities rely primarily on structural or molecular contrast and lack the ability to directly measure mechanical stress distributions within biological tissues. This collaboration enables translation of photoelastic imaging from benchtop systems to clinically relevant endoscopic platforms. Access to P41 infrastructure allows Dr. Li’s technology to be validated in physiologic models and integrated with complementary imaging modalities, significantly advancing its readiness for biomedical applications. The ability to directly visualize stress distributions in tissue introduces a new dimension of contrast for endoscopic imaging, with potential to improve detection and characterization of early-stage lesions that are not apparent using conventional structural or molecular imaging alone. 

Collaborating Investigator/Institution:  Yu She, PhD, Purdue University 

Grant number:  NSE CMMI 2322056

Project period dates:  09/01/25 – 08/30/28

Associated with:  TRD1, TRD2, TRD3

Early detection of GI cancers requires sensitive identification of molecular biomarkers that are often present at low abundance and exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity. This collaboration enables translation of nanoplasmonic biosensing technologies from benchtop validation to in vivo endoscopic imaging applications. Integration with the P41 Imaging Center provides access to advanced imaging platforms, preclinical models, and quantitative validation pipelines that are not available at Purdue University alone. This work establishes a new paradigm for high-sensitivity, multiplexed molecular imaging, with the potential to significantly improve early detection and characterization of gastrointestinal cancers through simultaneous assessment of multiple biomarkers.