Author: Zachariah Neumeier         Major: Biomedical Engineering

Adjusting LED settings for the probe

Hi there! My name is Zachariah Neumeier, and I am a biomedical engineering major and computer science minor here at the University of Arkansas. I am currently performing research with my mentor Dr. Timothy Muldoon and the Translational Biophotonics and Imaging Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

We are investigating a new way of imaging colorectal cancer tumors that has the potential to determine tumor response to anticancer treatment and guide the development of new therapies for colorectal cancer. When it comes to this kind of cancer, understanding how tumor angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels, occurs during tumor development and progression is a really key part of treatment developments. My project aims to investigate this by obtaining information about the tumor microenvironment and vasculature through a unique imaging method that can be performed during colonoscopies. We hope to achieve this through a custom-developed microendoscopic probe that collects two-dimensional images of light reflected back to the surface of tissue from the probe tip. Those images are then reconstructed into a three-dimensional tomographic map of the tumor microenvironment and vasculature. The ability to quantify tumor structure in vivo (in the body) in real time has a great potential to reduce the need for tumor biopsies, a more complicated and invasive process.

During the Spring 2021 grant term, I quickly learned that research involving this kind of medical imaging is intriguing but complicated. Even something as simple as designing the light system that the probe uses was difficult, and involved research into different kinds of light sources, optical fibers, and filters so that we had exactly the right wavelength and power going through the probe. Luckily, Dr. Muldoon teaches a Biomedical Instrumentation course about the design and theory of instrumentation for systems to measure different aspects of the human body. His expertise was invaluable as I began designing different parts of our system.

This project has taught me so much about cancer biology, instrumentation, optics, and biomedical design. I learned about myself too, that I enjoy working hands-on and having creative freedom to think of solutions to problems that arise. One such problem came in the form of testing our light instrumentation. We use custom-built phantoms that have similar optical properties to tissue and allow us to test on a benchtop instead of needing real tissue. Trying to keep everything in place by hand was difficult, so I had the freedom to design and 3D print a stand that could hold the probe and the phantoms in place for easier testing.

Dr. Muldoon is an excellent mentor and challenges me to consider both technical details of my project as well as the broader project design, so that we are realistic while also making important strides in cancer imaging. This project has also allowed me to collaborate with graduate and undergraduate students on different aspects of cancer imaging as a whole; without their assistance, this project would have progressed much slower.

For the Fall 2021 term, I will continue my work and further explore 3D tomographic reconstruction of the tumor images. I am also hoping to present my project at the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) 2021 Annual Meeting in October. This will be a great chance to showcase my work and meet other researchers who are investigating similar topics.

Overall, an Honors College Research Grant has been a great opportunity to fund expensive research equipment and provide funding for the 2021 BMES conference. More importantly, this grant has given me the challenge of explaining my work and demonstrating the importance of our research. My work will serve as the foundation for more studies and new potential discoveries. While I still have work to do, I hope to leave behind the results of this study for future students to learn from and expand even further the edge of cancer research.