Matcher Takes 6-month Assignment at Michelson Diagnostics

Dr. Stephen Matcher, senior lecturer in biomedical engineering at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield, has been matched with imaging developer Michelson Diagnostics for six months to provide optical coherence tomography (OCT) expertise to the company.

The transfer is funded by a grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Secondment Scheme, which helps companies gain access to highly qualified academic expertise and build links with universities. It also helps academics gain work experience so that they can bring to their students a better understanding of the industry as well as help them to develop their own research programs on the most relevant topics.

Matcher will help Michelson Diagnostics develop advanced image processing algorithms for use in its VivoSight laser scanners, which are used to image skin cancers and other skin conditions. The project began in February 2011.

Matcher joined the university as a senior lecturer in 2006. His research interests include the development and application of novel biophotonic tools to aid characterization of biological tissues, especially for use in medicine and tissue engineering. For more than 10 years, he has worked in OCT research. His current work includes the development of polarization-sensitive OCT and the development of advanced light sources for OCT imaging. Both projects are supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Privately owned, Michelson Diagnostics develops imaging projects using multibeam OCT, which provides real-time images of up to 2 mm into tissue with a resolution better than 10 µm.

For more information, visit: www.md-ltd.co.uk