We kicked off this week with a presentation from our fearless leader, Mary Jin who discussed her work in developing and testing the RAPID (Real-time Artificial-Intelligence-enabled Pathology for Intraoperative margin Detection) microscope for cellular imagery. The dilemma discussed was easy to understand. A surgeon is operating on Johnny Bravo’s cancerous tumor. They do the best they can to excise the tumor completely. So how do they know they got enough? Well, obviously they need to cut the tumor into cross-sections. Give the cross-sections to the friendly neighborhood pathologist that everyone plays croquet with on the weekends. Wait for the pathologist to use a handy dandy conventional microscope to examine the cellular structure of the edges of the cross-sections. Only to find out there are still abnormal cells on the perimeter of the tissue which means there is a high probability that cancerous tissue was not completely removed and Johnny Bravo has to be put back under.
The RAPID microscope aims to eliminate the need for relying on slower and costly methods for cellular imagery by developing and extended depth of field microscope that leverages a neural network and machine learning to deliver stunning results. The future of “RAPID” cellular microscopy is here!
We also were enlightened by Brady Hunt. A graduate student from Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum Bioengineering lab. He shared his inspiring work in taking on the challenge of providing cancer prevention treatments for women in rural areas at higher risks of developing and dying cervical cancer. The collaborative efforts of folks from Rice, Barretos Cancer Hospital in northern Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Baylor College of Medicine are nothing short of inspirational. Teams of engineers, research scientists, and doctors from different parts of the world coming together to holistically revamp standard methods of care is how we as a society can change the future for underserved communities. By developing new methods that use cost-effective technology and designed to scale in low-resource settings, I am optimistic that Brady and Mary’s research will have a positive impact on many lives!