Laser institute director gets Optical Society award

Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic director Bruce Tromberg has received the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award from The Optical Society. One of 15 prestigious awards bestowed by the society in 2015, it recognizes individuals for their innovative and influential contributions to the field of biophotonics. A UCI professor of surgery and biomedical engineering who runs BLI’s Laser Microbeam & Medical Program, Tromberg has pioneered methods for optical spectroscopy and imaging and has applied these technologies to the discovery and validation of imaging methods for detecting disease and improving therapeutic outcomes for patients. He helped create diffuse optical spectroscopy and imaging technology that’s being used in a portable scanner to detect breast cancer and that produces images based on tumor composition. Oncologists can compare  images of a tumor before and after chemotherapy to determine if it’s shrinking. Now in clinical trials at BLI, the scanner could become an integral part of treating breast cancer. Founded in 1916, The Optical Society is the leading professional organization for those in the science of light.