# Validation of Mesoscopic Imaging to Predict Cutaneous Carcinogenesis and its Therapeutic Response

> **NIH VA I01** · DAYTON VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · —

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Actinic neoplasia (precancerous actinic keratosis and non-melanoma skin cancer) is the most common type of
human neoplasia, and the most common diagnosis in VA dermatology clinics. We and other groups have
characterized the mechanisms by which aging and ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) contribute to actinic neoplasia.
In particular, human skin at high risk for actinic neoplasia exhibits biochemical features, including decreased
keratinocyte expression of DNA repair enzymes, increased numbers of senescent fibroblasts with lower levels
of fibroblast IGF-1, and increased fibroblast cytokines including IL-6, IL-8 and TNF. Moreover, at risk skin
responds to UVB by generating basal keratinocytes proliferating while still harboring DNA mutations. This
revised VA Merit application will leverage our recent findings that a noninvasive, multi-spectral, mesoscopic
imaging platform could potentially identify clinically normal-appearing skin at risk for actinic neoplasia. This
proposal also provides evidence that mesoscopic imaging could have use in quantifying field carcinogenesis. To
that end, two specific aims will test the hypothesis that mesoscopic imaging will be able to discern skin with
biochemical and functional characteristics of tissue at high risk for actinic neoplasia. The first aim consists of
two parts. In the first part, mesoscopic imaging will be used to predict areas of at-risk vs. normal skin, which will
be tested with biopsies and non-invasive transcriptome analysis to compare imaging parameter-based
predictions against biochemical, histological and functional features associated with skin at high risk for actinic
neoplasia. In the second part of Aim 1 we will take advantage of our recent findings that wounding of photo-
damaged geriatric skin with fractionated laser resurfacing normalizes the actinic neoplastic
biochemical/histological changes. We will leverage these findings by conducting mesoscopic imaging of laser-
wounded vs unwounded skin in geriatric subjects with photo-damaged skin. The second aim will test the ability
of mesoscopic imaging to quantify the effectiveness of topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) performed or
chemotherapy agent 5-fluorouracil cream on subjects with multiple actinic keratosis requiring field therapy.
Additionally, subjects at high risk for actinic neoplasia not treated with field therapy will be monitored
longitudinally in clinics by serial mesoscopic imaging. These three strategies in Aim 2 will test if this noninvasive
imaging can predict where actinic keratosis will arise and assess if mesoscopic imaging has use in the clinic for
quantifying skin at-risk for actinic neoplasia and actinic keratosis. The overall goal is to establish a fast, wide-
field, multi-spectral imaging system that can provide quantitative imaging parameters for monitoring human skin
non-invasively. If successful, these studies will validate a valuable clinical tool that can stratify risk of actinic
neoplasia even when ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10041690
- **Project number:** 5I01CX001904-02
- **Recipient organization:** DAYTON VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey B. Travers
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-10-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10041690

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10041690, Validation of Mesoscopic Imaging to Predict Cutaneous Carcinogenesis and its Therapeutic Response (5I01CX001904-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10041690. Licensed CC0.

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