Cancer Detection Device Receives SXSW Award

University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX

An optical probe to detect skin cancer designed by a team of researchers at the at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas (UT) was a hometown favorite to win an innovation award at South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive in March. The event honors emerging technologies, as well as music and films.

Fig. 1 – The left is a photo of the pen-sized 3-in-1 spectroscopy system. The right panel shows a view of the probe assembly with optical elements, such as filters, fibers, and front lens. (Credit: Review of Scientific Instruments/Eric Marple, EmVision LLC)

The Noninvasive Skin Cancer Detection Device, a fast, comprehensive, noninvasive and lower-cost solution to detect early-stage cancerous skin lesions from melanoma and other skin cancer, can reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies, the researchers say. Detection can be done optically, they say, because skin thickened by cancer cells reacts differently to light.

How It Works

The probe combines three unique ways of using light to measure the properties of skin tissue. Previous research efforts tried combining spectroscopic techniques to aid in skin cancer detection, but the UT Austin team is the first to put three techniques in a single probe that could be inexpensive enough to be used widely in clinics and doctors’ offices.

They combined Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy to create a more complete picture of a skin lesion. By revealing information invisible to the human eye, the probe could offer a faster, better screening tool for cancer and eliminate many biopsies.

As normal skin becomes cancerous, cell nuclei enlarge, the top layers of skin can thicken and the skin cells can increase their consumption of oxygen and become disorganized, the researchers explain. These changes alter the way light interacts with the tissue. But, to detect all of these changes requires multiple spectroscopic techniques. For example, diffuse optical spectroscopy is sensitive to absorption by proteins, such as hemoglobin. Raman spectroscopy is sensitive to vibrational modes of chemical bonds, such as those found in connective tissues, lipids, and cell nuclei.

The probe itself is about the size of a pen, and the spectroscopic and computer equipment that supports it fits onto a portable utility cart that can be wheeled between rooms. Each reading takes fewer than five seconds to perform. By detecting cancerous skin lesions early on, the device, they say, can lead to better treatment outcomes and, ultimately, save lives.

In August, the team began testing the device in clinical trials. It is also partnering with funding agencies and startups. At this point, it’s still unclear when it will be commercially available or how much the device would cost. But since this probe combines all three spectral modalities, it is the next critical step to translating spectroscopic technology to the clinic, they say.