Guided Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging in Clinical Interventions

Speaker:

Laura Marcu, PhD

Professor of Neurological Surgery and Biomedical Engineering

Endowed Professor of Neurosurgical Research, University of California, Davis

Abstract:

This presentation outlines recent advances in fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy and imaging (FLIM) for label-free, in vivo characterization of biological tissues. Numerous studies have demonstrated that autofluorescence lifetime signatures correlate with biochemical alterations associated with pathological progression and can distinguish malignant from non-malignant tissue across multiple organ systems. Despite this potential, clinical translation of autofluorescence-based diagnostics has been limited by instrumentation complexity, lack of real-time feedback, and challenges in integration with standard-of-care workflows. Prof. Marcu will describe multispectral FLIM systems developed in her laboratory that address these limitations through compact, clinically compatible designs. These platforms have been engineered for deployment as stand-alone systems and for integration with biopsy needles, intravascular catheters, and robotic surgical systems, including transoral robotic surgery (TORS). She will present clinical data from intraoperative studies in brain, head and neck cancer patients, demonstrating the ability of FLIM to delineate tumor margins in real time. Furthermore, the use of FLIM data in image-guided augmented reality to assist surgical navigation will be explored. These results underscore the translational potential of FLIM for intraoperative tissue discrimination, offering rapid, quantitative, and label-free assessment of tissue biochemistry with minimal workflow disruption.

Professor Marcu received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1998. She is the founding director of the NIH-NIBIB P41 National Center for Interventional Biophotonic Technologies at UC Davis, established in 2022. Since 2007, she has also served as co-director of the Biomedical Technology Program within the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research is centered on biomedical optics, with a focus on the development and clinical translation of label-free optical technologies for real-time tissue diagnostics. Her work spans applications in surgical oncology, interventional cardiology, and tissue engineering. Dr. Marcu has published a book and more than 250 articles. She currently serves on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Biophotonics and Translational Biophotonics, and as Associate Editor for Optica. She is a Fellow of AAAS, AIMBE, BMES, OSA, SPIE, and NAI.