Spectroscopy and pH biosensors for the detection of gastrointestinal dysplasia

The key to successful treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is the ability to detect the cancer at its earliest stages, called “dysplasia”. Optical techniques may considerably improve the ability to detect dysplasia as they have the potential to provide morphological and biochemical information of normal and diseased tissue. The proposed research project relies in the development of a chip-sized spectroscopy microsystem for the detection of morphological and biochemical tissue changes. Moreover, pH biosensors will be developed, and incorporated on the same chip, which will add essential diagnostic information as a complement to spectroscopy.