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Breast tumours have hard-to-detect tentacles that can prove elusive, so a suite of precision instruments able to detect them promises better patient outcomes. UWA researchers have created the world’s smallest microscope to find these microscopic extensions and their technology is stirring interest around the world.

We all love success stories and UWA’s Microscopein- a-Needle technology is a fine example of a once unfunded development program – engaging the expertise of researchers and the enthusiasm of PhD students – that is now garnering both substantial funding and the acknowledgement of national awards.

Patents have been awarded, publications have appeared in prestigious international journals and this home-grown technology is poised for commercial success. However, those involved in the development team from UWA’s Optical + Biomedical Engineering Laboratory (OBEL) would undoubtedly rate “better patient outcomes” as their overriding goal.

Breast tumours are complex, their hard-to-detect tentacles sometimes proving elusive, so a suite of precision instruments able to detect their microscopic extensions promises surgeons like Professor Christobel Saunders a higher success rate in excising all of the cancer first time around.

“Being able to offer women the surety that we have removed all the tumour in one operation is a really important goal,” says Professor Christobel Saunders.

This is close to being achieved by fitting a microscope in a standard hypodermic needle to enable 3D scanning. The technology was developed by the OBEL team in collaboration with clinicians from Royal Perth and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

“We started developing the technology in 2006 with UWA funding for a visiting intern from the United States and some final year students,” recalls Professor David Sampson. “However the real launch pad came in 2007 when we were awarded funding through the Centre of Excellence in eMedicine.

“With $200,000 per annum from the WA State Government and nearly matching funding from UWA for five years, we were able to build an exceptional engineering team led by Research Associate Professor Robert McLaughlin who joined the group in 2007. He became the first engineer to receive a Cancer Council WA Fellowship.

“Support from Cancer Council WA, National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Raine Medical Research Foundation have really been key to pushing this project forward.”

Associate Professor Mc Laughlin says the original target of having a positive impact on patient outcomes in breast cancer is within reach. “We’re now looking into new opportunities in brain and lung biopsy guidance. And this year we hope to spin out a company to commercialise the Microscope-in-a-Needle.”

To date the world’s smallest microscope has stirred wide interest and a US patent now licensed to start-up company Diagnostic Photonics Inc in the US. The technology has also been a regular at award ceremonies across Australia, including a 2014 win for A/Professor McLaughlin, Professor Christobel Saunders and Professor David Sampson in the Emerging Category of the WA Innovator of the Year Award.

There has also been acknowledgement for students involved who are clearly delighted to have such affirmation during their PhD studies. UWA student Loretta Scolaro won the 2014 Canon Extreme Imaging completion while Kelsey Kennedy was both Overall and People’s Choice Winner at the Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis Awards in 2013. You can see Kelsey in action at the following link: https://ow.ly/LpYq5

The OBEL team also won the 2014 Vice-Chancellor’s Award in Impact and Innovation, while Associate Professor McLaughlin won the Vice-Chancellor’s Mid-career Researcher Award.

Where to from here?

Professor Sampson says it has been inspirational to work with such a great team who are all so focussed on making a difference. “But we will all only be ultimately inspired when we see our tool in widespread use. That requires a product to be the outcome of our research and we’re now on the path to realising just that.”

If you’d like to know more about this success story, visit https://obel.ee.uwa.edu.au

Photo: L – R: Christobel Saunders, David Sampson, Robert McLaughlin, Sam South, WA Innovator of the Year Program Patron Professor Fiona Wood, Hon. Michael Mischin, Minister for Commerce, and Mr Yasuo (Wally) Yamanaka from Mitsubishi Australia Ltd, representing Principal Sponsor Mitsubishi Corporation.