The Diffuse Optics for Clinics (DOC) laboratory explores the potential clinical applications of Time Domain Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy (TD-DOS).

TD-DOS measures the absorption and scattering coefficients of turbid media, like biological tissues, non-invasively. Light pulses of the order of tens of picoseconds in the red and near-infrared range (600-1300 nm) are delivered to the tissue and the attenuation, broadening and delay of the output pulses encode information about its composition (concentrations of oxy and deoxy-hemoglobin, water, lipids and collagen, linked to absorption) and microstructure (linked to scattering). As a result, TD-DOS provides quantitative physiological insights non-invasively that address clinical needs unmet by current imaging modalities (e.g., X-ray, PET, MRI, ultrasound) and histopathological methods (e.g., biopsy). TD-DOS can thus complement standard radiological practices and diagnostics, supporting efficient decision-making and personalized medicine.

The DOC lab has conducted extensive research on breast cancer characterization, with particular attention to breast density evaluation [1,2], lesion diagnosis [3,4], and monitoring of neoadjuvant chemotherapy [5]. These efforts have led to clinical trials at Pio X healthcare institute (OPTIMAMM), European Institute of Oncology (BreastDensity), and San Raffaele Hospital (SOLUS, NADOPTIC). More recently, the lab has started pioneering research into the non-invasive probing of lung tissue in vivo (ANTHEM) [6]. Breast and lungs cancers represent the two most diffused neoplasia world-wide. Finally, an in vivo laboratory study for the continuous non-invasive monitoring of abdominal fat demonstrated great potential to estimate the effects of interventions like caloric restriction or bariatric surgery (MAYBE) [7].

The DOC lab adopts a comprehensive approach to research, encompassing the following stages:

1. Design of the experiment
2. Development and optimization of in-house experimental setups
3. Simulations with cutting-edge software
4. Measurement on phantoms (ex vivo, in vitro) and on healthy volunteers (in vivo) in laboratory
5. Clinical trials on target population
6. Data analysis with analytical, numerical and machine learning methods

Therefore, in the DOC lab collaboration with physicians, physicists, mathematicians, electronics engineers and industrial partners is essential.

Current projects:

1. SOLUS: [4]
2. NADOPTIC: [5]
3. ANTHEM: https://fondazioneanthem.it/
4. MAYBE: [7]

References:

[1] N. Serra, R. Cubeddu, G. Maffeis, V. Damagatla, A. Pifferi, and P. Taroni, In Vivo Optimization of the Experimental Conditions for the Non-Invasive Optical Assessment of Breast Density, Sci. Rep. 14, 19154 (2024), doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-70099-x.

[2] P. Taroni, G. Quarto, A. Pifferi, F. Abbate, N. Balestreri, S. Menna, E. Cassano, and R. Cubeddu, Breast Tissue Composition and Its Dependence on Demographic Risk Factors for Breast Cancer: Non-Invasive Assessment by Time Domain Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy, PLoS One 10, e0128941 (2015), doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128941.

[3] L. Spinelli, A. Torricelli, A. Pifferi, P. Taroni, G. Danesini, and R. Cubeddu, Characterization of Female Breast Lesions from Multi-Wavelength Time-Resolved Optical Mammography, Phys. Med. Biol. 50, 2489 (2005), doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/50/11/004.

[4] G. Maffeis, L. Di Sieno, A. Dalla Mora, A. Pifferi, A. Tosi, E. Conca, A. Giudice, A. Ruggeri, S. Tisa, A. Flocke, B. Rosinski, J.-M. Dinten, M. Perriollat, J. Lavaud, S. Arridge, G. Di Sciacca, A. Farina, P. Panizza, E. Venturini, P. Gordebeke, and P. Taroni, The SOLUS Instrument: Optical Characterization of the First Hand-Held Probe for Multimodal Imaging (Ultrasound and Multi-Wavelength Time-Resolved Diffuse Optical Tomography), Opt. Lasers Eng. 176, 108075 (2024), doi: 10.1016/j.optlaseng.2024.108075.

[5] N. Mule, G. Maffeis, R. Cubeddu, C. Santangelo, G. Bianchini, P. Panizza, and P. Taroni, Monitoring of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy through Time Domain Diffuse Optics: Breast Tissue Composition Changes and Collagen Discriminative Potential, Biomed. Opt. Express 15, 4842 (2024), doi: 10.1364/boe.527968.

[6] A. Pifferi, M. Miniati, A. Farina, S. Konugolu Venkata Sekar, P. Lanka, A. Dalla Mora, G. Maffeis, and P. Taroni, Initial Non-Invasive in Vivo Sensing of the Lung Using Time Domain Diffuse Optics, Sci. Rep. 14, 6343 (2024), doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56862-0.

[7] P. Lanka, A. Segala, A. Farina, S. Konugolu Venkata Sekar, E. Nisoli, A. Valerio, P. Taroni, R. Cubeddu, and A. Pifferi, Non-Invasive Investigation of Adipose Tissue by Time Domain Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy, Biomed. Opt. Express 11, 2779 (2020), doi: 10.1364/BOE.391028.