As the importance of mechanical properties in the origin and progression of disease becomes clearer, new elastography tools are required to map the mechanical properties of tissue on the micro-scale. Elastography has been developed for a wide range of spatial scales, from cellular (e.g., atomic force microscopy) through to the whole organ, using ultrasound and magnetic resonance elastography. However, existing techniques are not capable of probing tissue mechanical properties on the intermediate micro- to milli-scale: a scale critical in the onset and progression of many diseases, including most cancers.

Optical coherence elastography (OCE) aims to bridge the scale gap in elastography techniques. Through the utilization of optical coherence tomography to measure tissue motion, OCE is endowed with spatial resolution as high as 1-10 µm, much higher than ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging, and a sensitivity to tissue displacements on the nanometer-scale, providing the prospect to detect much finer changes in mechanical properties.

In this webinar, Brendan Kennedy will provide perspectives on emerging OCE techniques, and, in particular, he will focus on his efforts to apply OCE to tumor margin assessment in breast cancer; the development of handheld OCE probes for in vivo imaging of breast cancer in the surgical cavity; methods we have developed to quantify tissue elasticity and the development of optical coherence microscopy-based elastography for imaging tumor cell mechanics.

Subject Matter Level: Intermediate - Assumes basic knowledge of the topic

What You Will Learn:
• Optical coherence elastography (OCE)
• Tumor margin assessment using OCE
• Development of handheld OCE probes

Who Should Attend:
• Scientists, researchers, and professors
• Postdoctoral fellows
• Graduate and undergraduate students

About the Presenter: Brendan Kennedy from The University of Western Australia

Prof. Brendan Kennedy is Professor in the School of Engineering at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and is Head of BRITElab at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. He is also Professor in the Institute of Physics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland. Prof. Kennedy received his PhD from Dublin City University, Ireland, in 2006. His research is focused on optical coherence tomography and optical elastography and their use in mechanobiology, tissue engineering and surgery. He has published 1 book, 15 book chapters and >100 peer-reviewed journal papers. Prof. Kennedy has delivered >30 invited talks. He has won several awards including, in 2019, a West Australian 40under40 Award. Prof Kennedy is co-founder of OncoRes Medical, a start-up company developing novel optical tools for surgery. He served as Chief Scientific Officer 2017 to 2021. In 2021, OncoRes received breakthrough designation from the FDA. Prof. Kennedy holds 6 granted patents.