Russell Witte, PhD, from the Department of Medical Imaging and Hao Xin, PhD, from the Electrical and Computer Engineering, have been awarded a $1.44 million grant from the DOD for their research entitled Integrated Platform for Spectroscopic Thermoacoustic Imaging and Focused Microwave Therapy of the Breast. The technical team of Drs. Witte and Xin will work closely with clinical collaborators who have expertise in diagnostic breast imaging - Kim Fitzpatrick, MD and Marisa Borders, MD; breast pathology - Lauren LeBeau, MD; radiation oncology - Dino Stea, MD; and breast surgical oncology - Leigh Neumayer, MD.
Their research addresses an unmet need for less invasive strategies to treat localized breast cancer while preserving healthy breast tissue. This potentially revolutionary platform might not only improve the prognosis and reduce side effects of traditional aggressive treatments but also, as an adjunctive therapy, could lower chances of the return or spread of breast cancer.