The American Society For Laser Medicine & Surgery (ASLMS) announced today that Modulated Imaging co-founder and CEO David Cuccia, Ph.D., has been awarded the 2012 Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Grant. Dr. Cuccia was recognized for his graduate and post-graduate work on Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI), and for his success in building Modulated Imaging to develop optical technologies for clinical problems.
The ASLMS has over 4,000 members, and prides themselves on having a mission to “promote excellence in patient care by advancing biomedical application of lasers and other related technologies worldwide.” They describe this award in these terms: “The annual Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Grant recognizes and encourages the development of future technology innovators in light energy and related technologies by funding continued professional development. The award was established by Candela Corporation, Cynosure, and DEKA to honor Dr. Horace Furumoto who developed the world’s first practical dye laser, the Flashlamp-excited Dye Laser (FEDL). Dr. Furumoto founded Candela Laser Corporation and Cynosure, Inc. Dr. Furumoto also collaborated with Wellman Laboratories at Massachusetts General Heospital to develop selective photothermolysis, a technology that helped him create laser medical devices for the treatment of birthmarks, kidney stones and claucoma. Considered by many to be a leading pioneer in medical laser technology, Dr. Furumoto was awarded 26 U.S. patents and 21 international patents.”
SFDI is a next-generation tissue imaging technology that uses visible and near-infrared light to measure blood, oxygen, melanin, and other chromophores, while also visualizing many sub-dermal structures. Unlike many other imaging systems that use potentially harmful radiation or strong magnetic fields, SFDI uses only safe light waves.
Modulated Imaging was founded to commercialize this breakthrough SFDI technology, and was spun out of the Photonic Incubator within the Beckman Laser Institute at UC Irvine. Since its inception, Modulated Imaging has been backed by a passionate team who believes in the potential of SFDI as a revolutionary tissue imaging technology for research in many fields, medical diagnostics, and therapy monitoring.