University of Arizona Researchers Advance Imaging Breakthrough for Skin Cancer Detection

A University of Arizona research team has received nearly $2.7 million from the NIH Common Fund to push the boundaries of noninvasive tissue imaging, with the goal of developing a deeper, more accurate diagnostic tool for skin cancer. The technology, known as synthetic wavelength imaging (SWI), could provide clinicians with a clearer view of subsurface tumors—potentially transforming how nonmelanoma skin cancers are diagnosed and treated.

Current optical imaging techniques struggle with the fundamental tradeoff between depth and contrast: as light penetrates deeper into tissue, scattering increases and image clarity degrades. SWI aims to overcome this by illuminating the skin with two separate wavelengths of light. By mathematically combining the data, the system generates a “synthetic” wavelength that behaves as if it were longer—offering deeper tissue penetration while preserving fine spatial detail from the original, shorter wavelengths.

This technique could be especially valuable for detecting basal and squamous cell carcinomas, which differ significantly in how they present within skin layers. Unlike melanoma, which typically appears at or near the surface, these nonmelanoma subtypes can be harder to detect using standard imaging due to their depth and morphology.

One of the project’s key innovations lies in how it manages this delicate balance between resolution, contrast, and depth—each of which tends to come at the expense of the others.

While the current focus is on skin cancer, the broader vision includes eventual applications for imaging deeper tissues and internal organs in a noninvasive way. This includes the development of a portable imaging device that could be used in live clinical settings, providing real-time feedback without the need for contrast agents or biopsies.

The interdisciplinary team includes collaborators from the Department of Optical Sciences, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the UArizona Cancer Center, underscoring the project’s translational ambitions. The researchers aim to advance their platform into in vivo human studies, which could pave the way for a new generation of point-of-care diagnostic tools.

By tackling the core physics of light–tissue interactions and integrating innovations in optical engineering and computational modeling, the Arizona team is charting a path toward more accurate, accessible skin cancer diagnostics.