# Microsystems imaging system for epithelial-derived cancer heterogeneity

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $569,097

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Most human cancers originate within the epithelium of hollow organs and ducts. Cancers that arise
spontaneously from this thin layer of highly metabolically active tissue can be prevented using endoscopy to
accurately localize and resect pre-malignant lesions that arise within large mucosal surfaces. We will form a
Bioengineering Research Partnership (BRP) between the College of Engineering and the Medical School at
the University of Michigan to develop a targeted endoscopic imaging strategy. This robust, well-characterized
solution will enable rapid surveillance of cancer biomarkers expressed by the epithelium in hollow organs.
 We will scale down the dimensions of a prototype flexible fiber wide-field fluorescence endoscope from
3.6 to 2.4 mm. Thin-film PZT materials have high work density and will be used to reduce the size and
packaging requirements for the scanner while maintaining high performance. Individual scanner legs will be
actuated to perform random access control whereby arbitrary regions can be highlighted to maximize signal-to-
noise ratio, contrast, and frame rate. We will optimize a panel of peptides specific for cell surface targets
expressed early in epithelial-derived cancers. The peptides will be fluorescently-labeled with FITC, Cy5, and
IRDye800, respectively, for multiplexed in vivo imaging. These fluorophores are excited at 488, 647, and 785
nm, respectively, and the spectra are non-overlapping. Specific binding will be validated using cells in vitro
and human specimens ex vivo. We will verify the in vivo imaging performance of the 2.4 mm wide-field
fluorescence endoscope in a pre-clinical model of colorectal cancer using implanted human adenoma
organoids. These pre-cancerous lesions are flat and subtle in appearance, and express molecular targets with
genetic heterogeneity at levels representative of those seen in human patients.
 Successful completion of these aims will result in a prototype instrument and peptide panel that can be
clinically translated in the future to provide the research and medical community with new imaging tools for
early cancer detection in hollow organs. This highly collaborative effort will be performed by a multi-disciplinary
team of engineers, biochemists, and molecular biologists, and will be led by TD Wang, an expert in the
development of peptide-based imaging agents and flexible fiber instruments, and by KR Oldham, an expert in
microsystems technology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10237228
- **Project number:** 5U01EB028235-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Kenn R Oldham
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $569,097
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10237228

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10237228, Microsystems imaging system for epithelial-derived cancer heterogeneity (5U01EB028235-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10237228. Licensed CC0.

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