I’m Lei. Welcome to my website!
My TED talk about photoacoustic imaging just launched in February, 2022. Please watch and let me know what you think. Click here.
Lighting up the hidden diseases.
I am currently a postdoc researcher at Caltech.
My overarching research goal is to build next-generation medical imaging devices to diagnose cancer early and better understand the brain. I have dedicated myself to biomedical imaging since 2012 and endeavored toward that goal. The central problem I want to tackle is to visualize the brain functions in detail and diagnose diseases early using light. To address this, I have been working on developing a new generation of optical imaging technology, specifically photoacoustic tomography.
Single-Impulse Panoramic Photoacoustic Computed Tomography (SIP-PACT)
Single-impulse panoramic photoacoustic computed tomography (SIP-PACT) is a dream machine that integrates high spatiotemporal resolution, high sensitivity, and deep penetration. It allows longitudinal monitoring for drug delivery and chemotherapy. SIP-PACT also offers a powerful tool for mapping large-scale neural activities and studying the whole brain functions. It has been scaled up for human breast cancer diagnosis and human brain functional imaging.
Super sensitivity and specificity: Integration of multiscale PAT and photoswitchable proteins
The integration of the photoswitchable phytochrome probes with PAT achieves ultrahigh detection sensitivity, high contrast, and multiscale imaging for the first time. It monitors tumor growth and metastasis inside the deep body and achieves quantitative multicontrast imaging in deep tissue—a task that previously could not be done reliably.
PACT-Guided Microrobots For Targeted Navigation in Intestines In Vivo
In science fiction, microrobots enter our bodies and cure diseases in hard-to-reach areas. However, in reality, microrobots easily get lost after entering our bodies. Locating, guiding, and controlling the microrobots inside the body is a challenging issue. Just like the satellites in space guiding our cars to destinations, a photoacoustic imaging system outside the body can serve as a GPS for the microrobots. It can locate them inside the body in real time.
Photoacoustic topography through an ergodic relay (PATER)
By encoding spatial information with randomized temporal signatures through the ergodic relay, snapshot widefield high-throughput photoacoustic imaging has been realized, capturing widefield images with single laser shots. It significantly reduces the size, complexity, and cost of the photoacoustic imaging system and holds great promise for wearable and portable medical devices.