Until recently, visualizing the architectural and cellular morphology of human tissue has required histopathological examination. Samples would be excised from the patient, processed, sectioned, stained and viewed under a microscope. In addition to being invasive, time consuming and costly, the static nature of conventional pathology prohibits the study of biological dynamics and function. The Tearney Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital has led the way in transforming the current diagnostic paradigm through the invention and translation of new noninvasive, high-resolution optical imaging modalities that enable disease diagnosis from living patients without excising tissues from the body. Led by Guillermo (Gary) Tearney, MD, PhD, the lab’s 40-person multidisciplinary team invents, validates and translates novel devices that use light to conduct microscopy in living patients. Light is uniquely well suited for noninvasively interrogating the microscopic structure, molecular composition and biomechanical properties of biological tissues. The goal of the laboratory’s research is to improve understanding and diagnosis of disease by imaging the human body at the highest possible level of detail in vivo. Job Description A Postdoctoral research fellowship in the area of optical coherence tomography (OCT) is available in the Tearney Lab at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the Wellman Center for Photomedicine. This appointment will be made at the rank of postdoctoral fellow or instructor at Harvard Medical School, commensurate with the applicant’s experience. MGH’s role as a leading teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and close ties to Harvard University and MIT provide an outstanding environment for developing and translating new OCT technologies with applications in basic and clinical research. The fellowship will focus on high resolution OCT imaging devices, including development of novel optical techniques, engineering of in vivo endoscopic probes, and translation to clinical use. Current medical applications of micro-OCT include imaging of mucociliary clearance to monitor treatment response in pulmonary disorders such as cystic fibrosis, high-resolution imaging of vulnerable plaques in coronary artery disease, and diagnosis of cancer. The ideal candidate for this position is an organized and creative problem-solver experienced with advanced optics, biomedical engineering, computational methods, and image analysis, as well as capable of leading a multidisciplinary research team. Representative recent publications from our group on micro-OCT include: Nature Medicine 2011; 17:1010-4 PLOSONE 2013; 8:e54473 Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2014; 190:421-32 Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2014; 51:485-93
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