Research subpage
Early detection
EU HORIZON-funded work translating hyper-dimensional imaging, digital histopathology, and biochemical contrast toward faster cancer diagnostics.
Funded programme
HiLIGHT EU HORIZON project
The early detection programme is now centred on our role in HiLIGHT, an EU HORIZON project developing a miniaturised optical pulse burst source and advanced sensing technology for biomedical and healthcare applications.
In this project, we are focusing on instantaneous digital histopathology and cancer research: using time-resolved and multi-dimensional fluorescence measurements to extract richer biochemical contrast from tissues and cells.
Tumour imaging and multiplexed tissue biochemistry
We previously ran a small pilot study with Dr Massimiliano Di Pietro and Prof. Rebecca Fitzgerald at the MRC Cancer Unit, imaging freshly excised, unstained tissues and validating protocols for tumour imaging. These unpublished results support the idea that the enhanced biochemical resolution provided by hyper-dimensional imaging microscopy can improve contrast for tumour imaging.
We are now bringing together the earlier tumour imaging and heavily multiplexed immunofluorescence directions into a single diagnostic imaging programme. The goal is to combine native biochemical contrast with multiplexed antibody-based readouts, using spectrally and time-resolved measurements to extract more information from limited clinical material.
Key selected publications
Alessandro Esposito* and Ashok R. Venkitaraman. "Enhancing Biochemical Resolution by Hyperdimensional Imaging Microscopy." Biophysical Journal 116, 1815-1822 (2019). doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2019.04.015
Marina Popleteeva, Kalina Haas, David Stoppa, Laura Pancheri, Gasparini, Cassidy, Venkitaraman, and Alessandro Esposito*. "Fast and simple spectral FLIM for biochemical and medical imaging." Optics Express 23, 23511-23525 (2015).
Alessandro Esposito*, Arjen N. Bader, Simon C. Schlachter, van den Heuvel, Kaminski Schierle, Venkitaraman, Kaminski, and Gerritsen. "Design and application of a confocal microscope for spectrally resolved anisotropy imaging." Optics Express 19, 2546-2555 (2011).
Kiwanuka, Laurila, Frank, Esposito, von der Geest, Pancheri, Stoppa, and Kaminski. "Development of broadband cavity ring-down spectroscopy for biomedical diagnostics of liquid analytes." Analytical Chemistry 84, 5489-5493 (2012).