Breast screening technology wins researcher a postdoctoral fellowship
Published by Communications and Development
18 March 2009
A University of Canterbury researcher has been recognised as one of New Zealand’s brightest for his investigation into better breast cancer screening technology.
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Dr Thomas Lotz. |
Dr Thomas Lotz (Centre for Bioengineering) has received a Foundation for Research, Science and Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship valued at $261,844 over three years. He will receive an annual stipend of $61,000 a year for three years, plus allowances for research costs and ongoing skills development of about $26,000 a year over the three years.
He is one of 12 researchers nationwide to receive a fellowship which is designed to foster the development of New Zealand’s emerging and future science leaders.
The foundation is investing $3.687 million in this round of fellowship candidates and invests $6 million annually in the fellowship programme.
Dr Lotz is researching Digital Imaging-based Elasto-Tomography (DIET) breast cancer screening technology.
The current breast screening method of choice — X-ray mammography — is invasive, requires expensive and specialised equipment and staff. It is not very accurate and not very popular among women due to the pain and discomfort it causes.
DIET is a new technology being developed at the University of Canterbury that relies on digital imaging of the surface of a breast during induced vibrations to derive mechanical properties of the breast tissue. The underlying concept is that the motion seen on the breast's surface differs depending on the stiffness of the tissue within the breast. As cancerous tissue is five to 15 times stiffer than healthy tissue, a characteristic surface motion can be related to a potentially cancerous inclusion.
“Using sophisticated computer algorithms, the presence of a tumour can be identified and potentially even the location and size within the breast. This information could then be used by the clinician to undertake further diagnosis and treatment,” Dr Lotz said.
“The technology has been tested in the laboratory and is currently undergoing first human trials.”
Dr Lotz said he felt honoured to receive the fellowship and was excited to be researching in an area that could have an immediate impact on healthcare quality and cost.
“Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death among women and studies have shown that diagnosis at an early stage can save many lives. With our technology, earlier and more frequent screening without harmful X-rays could be possible in the near future.”
Dr Lotz said he had always had a strong interest in medical technology and was excited about the opportunity to take the DIET technology into clinical testing.
“This is a very important milestone towards further development and validation of the DIET system.”
Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Town was delighted for Dr Lotz and said he was looking forward to seeing the results of his work. Professor Town said the type of work being done by Dr Lotz and his colleagues would generate significant benefits for New Zealanders.
“To have Thomas recognised in this way is exciting not only in terms of advancing detection of breast cancers, but also boosting Canterbury University’s reputation in the area of health sciences. It is an area the University is very interested in pursuing further with the likes of Thomas’ research work and our research partnership with the Canterbury District Health Board.”
Dr Lotz completed an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, before coming to the University of Canterbury for doctoral study. He completed his PhD in 2007 at UC’s Centre for Bioengineering, developing a model-based diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
For further information please contact:
Jeanette Colman
Communications Manager
University of Canterbury
Ph: (03) 364 2260
jeanette.colman@canterbury.ac.nz