IGERT Nanomedicine Distinguished Lecture

Date: 09/26/2008
Time: 1:30 pm
Location: 104 West Village G
Speaker: Lev Perelman, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Physics and of Electrical and Computer Engineering

We will discuss light scattering techniques to detect early pre-cancerous changes in the tissues which line the epithelial surfaces of the body. The majority of cancers are epithelial in nature. We use light reflection spectroscopy to observe the earliest sign, the enlargement of the index of the cells which line this layer. Our method is based on the feature that single scattering in the backward direction retains the polarization of the light incident on nucleus in the epithelial layer whereas multiple scattering destroys the polarization. Collecting the backscattering spectral intensities of both polarizations, and taking their difference, we extract the single scattering component. The signals are analyzed to extract the nuclear density, size and the relative refractive index. New results using metallic nanoparticles and their use in cancer detection will be discussed. The experimental results will be presented to illustrate the physical basis of the technique, and its biological application.

Bio: Professor Perelman’s interdisciplinary research focus is in biophysics and biomedical optics, using light scattering for noninvasive in vivo detection of disease throughout the human body. He made significant contributions to diagnostic applications of optics and lasers during his tenure at MIT and Harvard, and holds more than a dozen patents for his discoveries. The American Institute of Physics recognized Perelman in 2000 for one of the 10 most promising biophysics accomplishments for the decade. He is also director of the Biomedical Imaging and Spectroscopy Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.