HI Project BENIGN Co-Lead Oliver Bruns Awarded for Advancing Medical Imaging

The Helmholtz Association and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft have awarded the Helmholtz High Impact Award 2024 to biochemist Oliver Bruns (NCT/UCC Dresden and DKFZ) and chemist Ellen Sletten (UCLA). They are recognized for their research on a new medical imaging technology in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) range, which has the potential to greatly enhance precision in tumor surgery.

We interviewed Oliver Bruns to learn more about his research in SWIR imaging, and to gain insights into the role of interdisciplinary collaboration, future applications of his research, and his advice for young scientists.

HI: Congratulations on winning the Helmholtz Impact Award for your innovative method that combines short-wave infrared light, so-called SWIR imaging, with special fluorescent dyes. Could you explain in simple terms how it works and how it differs from other imaging methods currently used in surgery?

Oliver Bruns: Thank you. In simple terms we are moving the imaging wavelengths further into the infrared. By this we are suppressing light scattering and enable deeper penetration into tissues. Additionally, the background caused by autofluorescence drops dramatically which enables higher sensitivity in detecting small amounts of dyes. Together this enables detecting even fewer cells deeper in tissues and increasing the sensitivity of optical imaging overall. So, the difference is that we are exploring a new optical window which requires new optical hardware and new detectors as well as new contrast agents. While the principles are the same as current imaging techniques used in surgery the performance is much better.

Your work combines elements of biology, chemistry, engineering, and medicine. How important has interdisciplinary collaboration been in achieving the success of your project?

The interdisciplinary collaboration has been essential and I cannot imagine achieving any of our goals without it.

What advice would you give to young scientists who are interested in pursuing interdisciplinary research like yours?

So, I have two pieces of advice:

First, don’t be afraid if you are not an expert in a certain discipline. Almost anything can be understood if you ask the right questions. And the main differences between the fields are often just the jargon used to communicate.

And the second piece of advice is that you always have to follow your project through the different steps in the different disciplines and never stop and give up the responsibility and rely on collaborators to drive your project forward. Go to your collaborator’s groups and directly work with them on your project and stay in charge.

In addition to detecting cancerous cells during surgery, are there other potential applications of SWIR imaging with special fluorescent dyes in medical diagnostics or other fields?

It is also important in surgery to detect other structures like blood vessels, lymphatics and nerves. We are using SWIR imaging for that as well. Beyond applications in surgery any field which requires deep tissue penetration in-vivo can benefit from SWIR imaging. We are working on intravital microscopy and imaging in awake mice where we see benefits.

SWIR imaging plays a significant role in the Helmholtz Imaging project BENIGN, which you co-lead. How does the work being done within BENIGN contribute to advancing medical imaging?

In the BENIGN project we collaborate with Dr. Damien Hudry from KIT and we are pushing together the limits of SWIR imaging further and further into the infrared. This could improve the imaging performance even beyond the great results we already got today.

Thank you, Oliver Bruns, for sharing your insights and experiences with us.  We wish you continued success as you further advance medical imaging.

Interested to learn more about BENIGN? Explore the project details.

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About the Helmholtz High Impact Award

The Helmholtz Association, together with the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, has awarded the “Helmholtz High Impact Award” for the second time since its establishment. This €50,000 prize honors highly innovative interdisciplinary research addressing major challenges in science, industry, or society, with a focus on scientific or technically innovative achievements across fields like medicine, natural, and engineering sciences, involving representatives of at least two disciplines.