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Minutes from October 9th 2013

A Fantastic Voyage

Date:

9th October, 2013

Location:

St. Botolph Club, Boston

Speaker:

Guillermo J. Tearney, M.D., Ph.D.
Mike and Sue Hazard Family MGH Research Scholar
Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Wellman Center for Photomedicine,
Massachusetts General Hospital

Members Present:

Aram Chobanian
Barbara Gilchrest
Mark Klempner
Thoru Pederson
John T. Potts
Mark Poznansky
Robert Sackstein

Cocktails:

Conversations included a discussion of the current impasse in the US Government and its consequences for research funding. Several ideas on how this problem could be solved were politely aired.

Talk:

Gary gave an illuminating talk on the remarkable imaging technologies that he has developed with the purpose of seeing every single cell in the human body. These new and imaginative technologies run the gamut from in vivo tissue and cell imaging all the way to molecular imaging in vivo. The most remarkable technologies that Gary has developed include Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) which allows the observer to develop 3-D images of functioning coronary arteries at high resolution, allowing definition of vulnerable plaques for example. This new technology has already been used to great effect in over 5 million patients. Gary also described ultrasound-based imaging that allows 3-D reconstruction of the esophagus and is assisting in the diagnosis of the premalignant condition Barrett’s Esophagus. Advances further into the microscopic scale include micro-OCT and Spectrally Encoded Confocal Microscopy that allows real time 3-D imaging of single cells in the body and has been put to use in diagnosing eosinophilic esophagitis and understanding the movement of cilia in the trachea. Gary clearly demonstrated his ability to take an amazing understanding of optics and physics into imaging human cells in vivo and onward to medical devices that help in rapid and less invasive diagnostic procedures.

Post Seminar Discussion:

A stimulating talk was followed by pleasant post-prandial group and side conversation. The US Government shutdown again reared its head as a topic of conversation as Gary reported the direct impact of this ongoing process on his research. Barbara led the vote of thanks for a thoroughly fascinating and inspiring talk by Gary.

Respectfully submitted, Mark Poznansky, Scribe