AI-powered slide-free microscope for checking tumor margins
Official title: Deep learning microscope for slide-free and digital histology
Funded at Rice University · NIH-11308191 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A fast, low-cost AI microscope will look at fresh surgical tissue to help surgeons check tumor margins for people with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rice University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | July 12, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $708,207 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE032051-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308191 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People having surgery for oral squamous cell carcinoma who might have tissue removed and would be candidates for intraoperative margin examination are the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without oral cavity cancers or those who only need standard, non-surgical pathology follow-up are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
This project is building a portable imaging device called the DeepDOF that can examine fresh tissue without the slow slide-preparation used in standard pathology. The device uses optical engineering plus deep learning to create diagnostic-quality images and to highlight areas that may contain cancer at the edge of the removed tissue. The team will train and test the system on samples from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and compare results to current pathology methods. The goal is to give surgeons quicker, on-the-spot information about margins and to expand access to pathology in places with limited resources.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide faster, cheaper intraoperative margin checks and improve access to pathology services, especially in resource-limited settings.
How similar studies have gone: Related work on AI-assisted and slide-free imaging has shown promising early results, but applying the DeepDOF platform for intraoperative margin checks in oral cancer is relatively new and still under clinical validation.
Where this research is happening
-
Rice University
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R. — Rice University
- Study coordinator: Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.