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B.C. researchers develop light-based breast cancer detection tool

SFU-developed device is a non-invasive pre-screening tool to be used in advance of a traditional mammogram

By Matt Meuse, CBC News Posted: Apr 06, 2017 8:25 PM PT Last Updated: Apr 06, 2017 8:25 PM PT

A team of researchers at Simon Fraser University have developed a

 device they say will make detection of breast cancer easier and less 

invasive. From left to right: Mozhgan Jenab, Farid Golnaraghi,

 Zahra Haeri and Majid Shokoufi, (Simon Fraser University)

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A team of researchers at Simon Fraser University have developed a

 device for detecting breast cancer that they hope will make 

diagnosing the disease easier and less invasive.

The device, which resembles an ultrasound probe, analyzes the 

refraction and absorption of near-infrared light to detect cancer 

cells.

Farid Golnaraghi, director of mechatronic systems engineering at 

SFU and head of the team that created the device, says it's similar 

to how the human eye perceives colour.

"You see a tree leaf to be green [because] different frequencies are 

absorbed and the green light is reflected," Golnaraghi said.

"We use a similar principle to identify cancerous tissue, because it 

has different properties than other tissues within the breast."

Unlike the more invasive process of mammography, the SFU 

team's device uses low-frequency light emitted from a handheld 

probe to detect the presence of cancerous tissue in the breast. 

(Simon Fraser University)

Would not replace mammography

Golnaraghi says the device has been highly successful in trials that 

involved patients already known to have cancer, and requires 

minimal training to use.

Still, he does not see the device as a substitute for more 

mammography, a more invasive procedure that involves X-rays, 

but has a proven track record.

Instead, he views the device as a safe, easy-to-use pre-screening

 tool that can be used before referring a patient to a specialist for 

further tests.

"[It's] a step just like what ultrasound is," Golnaraghi said. "It's a 

step in advance of mammography."

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·                 Mobile mammogram clinic travels through B.C. 

Interior

The device is the result of eight years of research on Golnaraghi's 

part, but it will still be some time before the device is used in 

clinics. Golnaraghi says the team is currently talking to venture 

capitalists about how to bring the device to market.

It's been a long road, but Golnaraghi says it's been worth it.

"It's very rewarding to develop something that helps people," he 

said.