Handheld imaging to detect and monitor mouth (oral) lesions
Reflectance confocal microscopy-optical coherence tomography (RCM-OCT) imaging of oral lesions: Toward an affordable device and approach for developing countries
A low-cost handheld device that combines two types of optical scans to noninvasively spot and track oral lesions in adults, especially in low-resource settings.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11135360 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project builds a portable device that merges reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to image mouth lesions without cutting tissue. RCM provides cellular-level views of the surface epithelium while OCT shows tissue layers and deeper structure, giving matched pictures of the same spot. The team will create a quantitative scoring algorithm from those images to sort lesions into low- or high-risk categories to guide monitoring versus treatment. Work focuses on making the device affordable and testing it for use in clinics in low- and middle-income countries, comparing images to biopsy results for validation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21+) with visible oral lesions or areas of concern, particularly those seen in clinics in low- and middle-income countries, would be ideal candidates for imaging and follow-up.
Not a fit: People needing an immediate, definitive tissue diagnosis for treatment planning (for example, confirmed invasive cancer requiring surgery) or children would be less likely to benefit from imaging alone.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the device could reduce painful and costly biopsies, speed diagnosis, and help prioritize patients who need urgent treatment in low-resource settings.
How similar studies have performed: RCM and OCT have shown promise separately for imaging skin and oral lesions, but combining them in a single handheld device with a quantitative scoring algorithm is a novel approach that has not yet been proven in large clinical use.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rajadhyaksha, Milind — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Rajadhyaksha, Milind
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 below.