# Noninvasive multiphoton imaging of subcellular structures with color contrast for rapid detection of skin cancers

> **NIH NIH R44** · ENSPECTRA HEALTH, INC. · 2020 · $1,944,985

## Abstract

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) represents the most common form of cancer in the human
body. The method for diagnosing and treating NMSCs requires a skin biopsy that is processed
and stained for analysis on a standard optical microscope. This process is painful for patients,
and the invasiveness of biopsy introduces a delay into NMSC detection, which contributes to
patient morbidity and adds substantial cost to the healthcare system. Zebra Medical
Technologies (ZMT) aims to address the unmet clinical need for a better method to detect
NMSCs earlier. In Phase I of this grant, ZMT demonstrated the feasibility of a portable, skin-
imaging microscope for human clinical studies (Aim 1), developed software for data acquisition,
image processing, and improved user interface (Aim 2), and demonstrated in 5 human subjects
with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) the ability to detect pathologic features of BCC (Aim 3). ZMT
has created the first fiber coupled multiphoton microscopy (MPM) system for in vivo imaging of
skin cellular anatomy. Building on this success, ZMT will build clinical evidence in Phase II to
support a 510(k) submission for United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) clearance.
This is a necessary and valuable step towards bringing this technology into regular clinical
practice. In this proposal we will accomplish three aims: Aim 1) Advance development of the
portable, skin-imaging microscope for a clinical trial, Aim 2) Develop library of slide images of
targeted skin diseases comparing MPM to traditional histology, and Aim 3) Conduct in vivo
human performance testing to support FDA clearance.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9910160
- **Project number:** 2R44CA221591-02A1
- **Recipient organization:** ENSPECTRA HEALTH, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Gabriel Nestor Sanchez
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,944,985
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2017-09-25 → 2020-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9910160

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9910160, Noninvasive multiphoton imaging of subcellular structures with color contrast for rapid detection of skin cancers (2R44CA221591-02A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9910160. Licensed CC0.

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