ASLMS to Honor David J. Cuccia, PhD

David J. Cuccia, Ph.D, Chief Technology Officer and CEO at Modulated Imaging, Inc. Irvine, California, will receive the 2012 Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Grant at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) April 20-22 in Kissimmee, Florida. Dr. Cuccia will use the $5,000 award to study business management science and to advance his professional development as an entrepreneur. Dr. Cuccia earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in 2006 from the University of California, Irvine with support from a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. His graduate work helped him develop a new technology for quantitative sub-surface imaging of tissues known as “Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI)” or “Modulated Imaging”. SFDI employs relatively simple consumer electronics technologies such as digital light projectors and cameras, and turns them into powerful medical instruments that are capable of imaging 5-10 mm beneath the tissue surface. Dr. Cuccia used this technology to start up Modulated Imaging, Inc. in December, 2006 and now employs six employees. The company is currently focused on the development of optical technologies that will impact a number of clinical problems in the diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring sector. Current efforts are directed toward applications that will support burn wound triage, noninvasive identification and assessment of skin cancer, rapid tumor margin delineation, guidance of surgical intervention, identification and monitoring of chronic wounds, and monitoring of chemotherapeutic efficacy. The annual Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Grant recognizes and encourages the development of future technology innovators in light energy and related technologies by funding continued professional development. The award was established by Candela Corporation, Cynosure, and DEKA to honor Dr. Horace Furumoto who developed the world's first practical dye laser, the Flashlamp-excited Dye Laser (FEDL). Dr. Furumoto founded Candela Laser Corporation and Cynosure, Inc. Dr Furumoto also collaborated with Wellman Laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital to develop selective photothermolysis, a technology that helped him create laser medical devices for the treatment of birthmarks, kidney stones and glaucoma. Considered by many to be a leading pioneer in medical laser technology, Dr. Furumoto was awarded 26 U.S. patents and 21 international patents.