Oakland University professor receives National Science Foundation grant for wireless 3D breast ultrasound device project
Dr. Alycen Wiacek has received a $200,000 grant for her project that is working to bring engineering into the medical world in search of a solution to someday reduce breast cancer deaths around the world.
Assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Bioengineering at Oakland University Dr. Alycen Wiacek has been awarded the Engineering Research Initiation grant from the National Science Foundation. She has been given $200,000 to pursue her project of creating a wireless device to provide 3D breast ultrasounds to be used in areas around the world with limited resources as a way to help lessen the burden of breast cancer globally.
According to an article on Oakland University's website, Dr. Wiacek said of her grant win, “This award will give me the opportunity to grow my lab, the Medical Acoustics for Global Health, Imaging, and Clinical translation (MAGIC) lab, here at Oakland University and work with my team of highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students to develop innovative three-dimensional (3D) imaging systems and quantitative algorithms. The outcomes of this award will also serve as the foundation upon which I will continue to grow my research and develop tools to expand access to high-quality, non-invasive medical imaging technologies. I am truly excited to get started on this work and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the medical community from an engineering lens, developing technologies that could one day reduce the global burden of breast cancer.”
Dr. Wiacek sees her project being useful in the establishment of accessible technologies necessary to diagnose breast cancer and in creating the opportunity for greater healthcare access around the world, especially in low-resource areas.
She noted that the use of wireless ultrasound equipment is not itself a new idea: “Recently, wireless ultrasound probes have revolutionized how and where ultrasound can be used, bringing the imaging method directly to the patient’s bedside. However, due to the complexity of the hardware, the data available from these wireless systems are limited and ultimately only represent a two-dimensional snapshot of a 3D tumor,” said Dr. Wiacek.
Additionally, the award will facilitate the enhancement of the ultrasound curriculum at the university, as well as establishing activities for younger students in middle school and high school that will increase their awareness and knowledge of ultrasound technology and how engineers have a place in medicine.
For more information about Oakland University, visit the school’s website.