What if surgeons could see tumors more clearly?

White Blood Cells

Problem To Solve

Osteosarcoma is a rare bone cancer that commonly affects children and young adults. Successful treatment requires completely removing the tumor. Unfortunately, it is not easy to detect microscopic disease during surgery and, in some cases, a small amount of tumor can remain.

Our Approach

We are working on developing a cutting-edge approach to better detect small amounts of tumor during surgery. By tagging osteosarcoma cells with a near-infrared molecule and using a specialized imaging system, we hope to visualize microscopic tumor during surgery. Our goal is to better distinguish normal tissue from tumor tissue, thereby ensuring a more complete surgical resection.