Currently, my research is focused on the development of emerging technologies for the biomedical science sector including novel methods for disease detection and cancer management.

However, the technology may find wider application in the material science and life science sectors. Specifically, we are investigating the potential of interstitial thermal therapy as an effective modality for the treatment of disease, including the thermal destruction of small solid tumors. This minimally invasive procedure involves implanting thin, flexible optical fibers (coupled to a laser) into the tissue and heating to above 60 ºC which denatures proteins and results in tissue damage. We are developing 1) accurate treatment planning algorithms to optimize clinical protocols, 2) on-line monitoring strategies to control treatments and 3) novel imaging modalities (i.e. optoacoustic imaging) to assess treatment outcome. We are currently focusing our efforts on the treatment of prostate cancer. However, the general goal of this work is to optimize and control interstitial thermal therapy for a variety of tissue pathologies.

Behrouz Soroushian, William M. Whelan, and Michael C. Kolios. "Study of laser induced thermoelastic deformation of native and coagulated ex vivo bovine liver tissues for estimating their optical and thermo mechanical properties", Journal of Biomedical Optics. 15(6), 065002. 2010.

Matthew Rodrigues, Robert A. Weersink, and William M. Whelan. "Assessment of thermal coagulation in ex vivo tissues using Raman spectroscopy", Journal of Biomedical Optics, 15(6), 068001. 2010.

Lee Chin, Brendan Lloyd, William M. Whelan, and I.Alex Vitkin, "Interstitial point radiance spectroscopy of turbid media", Journal of Applied Physics, 105, 102025, 2009 (Special Topic: Applied Biophysics), (Invited).

GM Spirou, A Mandelis, IA Vitkin and WM Whelan, "Frequency-domain photothermoacoustic signal amplitude dependence on the optical properties of the water - turbid polyvinyl chloride-plastisol (PVCP) system", Applied Optics, Vol. 47, Issue 14, pp. 2564-2573, 2008.

GM Spirou, A Mandelis, IA Vitkin and WM Whelan, "A Calibration technique for requency-domain photothermoacoustics", European Physical Journal (Special Topics), 153, 491-494, 2008.

Lee Chin, Arthur Worthington, William M. Whelan, and I.Alex Vitkin, "Determination of the optical properties of turbid media using relative interstitial radiance measurements: Monte Carlo study, experimental verification and sensitivity analysis", Journal of Biomedical Optics, 12, 064027, 2007.

Lee Chin, William M. Whelan, and I.Alex Vitkin, "Perturbative diffusion theory formalism for interpreting temporal light intensity changes during laser interstitial thermal therapy", Physics in Medicine and Biology, 52 (6), 1659-74, 2007.