August 23, 2017

3D Surface Imaging Technique for Breast Cancer

My name is Olivia Tong and I am a MESc candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering under Drs. Jeffrey Carson and Mamadou Diop at Lawson Health Research Institute.

We are developing a non-contact scanner that can monitor the blood oxygen level in the tumor during chemotherapy. The success of this project will lead to a new diagnostic method that can quickly identify the most effective chemotherapy drug for each breast cancer patient. You might have seen Lawrence Yip’s blog posts regarding Photoacoustic Imaging Research. For this scanner, we also use photoacoustic imaging to detect breast tumors. As an improvement, we are building a non-contact system. I am working on a component of this non-contact scanner that captures the 3D shape of the breast using 3D surface imaging technique. The 3D information of the breast is important for reconstructing the photoacoustic images collected by the other component of the scanner.

The support of TBCRU enabled me to purchase a commercial structured light scanner for the development of my system. My next step is to evaluate the performance of my system on a small group of human subjects before integrating my component into the non-contact scanner. For this project, we also collaborate closely with clinicians at the breast cancer center at St. Joseph’s Hospital and researchers at McMaster University.

This May, I have the opportunity to meet with our collaborators and learn more about biomedical optics. I am very grateful to be supported by TBCRU and work for this amazing project.

Breast Cancer Canada and REAL Canadian Breast Cancer Alliance Establish National Recommendations for Breast Cancer

For the first time in Canada, the country’s leading breast cancer experts have come together to establish national standards for breast cancer. This suite of

Remembering Dr. Juliet Daniel

Dr. Juliet Daniel’s passing from metastatic breast cancer is a profound loss to science, to McMaster University, to the Caribbean and Canadian communities that shaped

Inaugural BCC–CSSO Career Development Research Award Presented to Dr. Matthew Castelo

Breast Cancer Canada (BCC) and the Canadian Society of Surgical Oncology (CSSO) are proud to announce the inaugural BCC-CSSO Career Development Research Award, a $200,000

Meet the Researcher: Urvi Patel

Urvi Patel is a PhD student in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology at Western University. She is conducting BCC-funded breast cancer research under

Progress Through Research

Latest Research

Breast Cancer Canada donations fund life-saving research that directly impacts Canadian patients. That means better answers, bigger breakthroughs – and more personalized treatment for every breast cancer diagnosis.

Patient Tools

Our suite of digital tools are each designed to help individuals better manage their breast cancer journey through education, research and personalized insights, while also elevating the patient voice.

Patient Stories

Every breast cancer journey is unique, but together, these stories paint a powerful picture of progress. Through firsthand accounts from patients and survivors, we share stories that highlight the lived-experiences of breast cancer.

Fuel Progress

Progress happens when we invest in it. Canada is home to some of the world’s brightest minds in research. Together, we are advancing science, ensuring it leads to earlier detection, better treatments, and improved outcomes for patients across the country.