Adam P. Wax
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Overview
Dr. Wax's research interests include optical spectroscopy for early cancer detection, novel microscopy and
interferometry techniques.
The study of intact, living cells with optical spectroscopy offers the opportunity to observe cellular structure, organization and dynamics in a way that is not possible with traditional methods. We have developed a set of novel spectroscopic techniques for measuring spatial, temporal and refractive structure on sub-hertz and sub-wavelength scales based on using low-coherence interferometry (LCI) to detect scattered light. We have applied these techniques in different types of cell biology experiments. In one experiment, LCI measurements of the angular pattern of backscattered light are used to determine non-invasively the structure of sub-cellular organelles in cell monolayers, and the components of epithelial tissue from freshly excised rat esophagus. This work has potential as a diagnostic method for early cancer detection. In another experiment, LCI phase measurements are used to examine volume changes of epithelial cells in a monolayer in response to environmental osmolarity changes. Although cell volume changes have been measured previously, this work demonstrates for the first time the volume of just a few cells (2 or 3) tracked continuously and in situ.
Selected Grants
Duke CTSA (KL2) awarded by National Institutes of Health (Mentor). 2018 to 2023
Duke CTSA (TL1) awarded by National Institutes of Health (Mentor). 2018 to 2023
Advanced a/LCI systems for improved clinical utility awarded by National Institutes of Health (Principal Investigator). 2016 to 2021
High throughput cell screening for toxic metal exposure awarded by National Institutes of Health (Principal Investigator). 2018 to 2020
Novel Coherence Imaging to Evaluate the Health of the Cervical Epithelium awarded by National Institutes of Health (Principal Investigator). 2014 to 2020
Coherent light scattering for early detection of Alzheimer's disease awarded by National Institutes of Health (Principal Investigator). 2017 to 2020
Deep skin imaging with OCT awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 2018 to 2020
Training in Medical Imaging awarded by National Institutes of Health (Mentor). 2003 to 2019
Visualization of mechanical stress in live cells awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 2016 to 2019
Improving Medical Outcomes Through Needle-Based Optical Sensing awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center (Principal Investigator). 2015 to 2017
Pages
Ferraro, P, Wax, AP, and Zalevsky, Z. Preface. December 1, 2011.
Graf, RN, Robles, FE, and Wax, A. "Assessing microscopic structural features using fourier-domain low coherence interferometry." Handbook of Biomedical Optics. April 19, 2016. 463-482.
Wax, A, Giacomelli, M, and Robles, F. "Elastic scattering spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography." Optical Coherence Tomography: Technology and Applications, Second Edition. January 1, 2015. 1207-1235. Full Text
Vo-Dinh, T. "Preface." January 1, 2014. ix-xi. Full Text
Wax, A, and Robles, FE. "Molecular imaging true color spectroscopic (METRiCS) optical coherence tomography." Medical Imaging: Technology and Applications. January 1, 2013. 53-87. Full Text
Zhang, H, Steelman, ZA, Ho, DS, Chu, KK, and Wax, A. "Angular range, sampling and noise considerations for inverse light scattering analysis of nuclear morphology." Journal of Biophotonics 12.2 (February 2019): e201800258-null. Full Text
Wax, A. "Oct promising as clear point-of-care solution." Biophotonics International 25.6 (September 1, 2018): 30-33.
Steelman, ZA, Eldridge, WJ, and Wax, A. "Response to Comment on "Is the nuclear refractive index lower than cytoplasm? Validation of phase measurements and implications for light scattering technologies": A Comment on "How a phase image of a cell with nucleus refractive index smaller than that of the cytoplasm should look like?", e201800033." Journal of Biophotonics 11.6 (June 2018): e201800091-null. Full Text
Zhou, Y, Zhao, Y, Kim, S, and Wax, A. "Spectroscopic OCT: Towards an effective tool for distinguishing authentic and artificial Chinese freshwater pearls." Optical Materials Express 8.3 (March 1, 2018): 622-628. Full Text
Kim, S, Crose, M, Eldridge, WJ, Cox, B, Brown, WJ, and Wax, A. "Design and implementation of a low-cost, portable OCT system." Biomedical Optics Express 9.3 (March 2018): 1232-1243. Full Text
Steelman, ZA, Kim, S, Jelly, ET, Crose, M, Chu, KK, and Wax, A. "Comparison of imaging fiber bundles for coherence-domain imaging." Applied Optics 57.6 (February 2018): 1455-1462. Full Text
Muñoz, A, Eldridge, WJ, Jakobsen, NM, Sørensen, H, Wax, A, and Costa, M. "Cellular shear stiffness reflects progression of arsenic-induced transformation during G1." Carcinogenesis 39.2 (February 2018): 109-117. Full Text
Zhao, Y, Chu, KK, Eldridge, WJ, Jelly, ET, Crose, M, and Wax, A. "Real-time speckle reduction in optical coherence tomography using the dual window method." Biomedical Optics Express 9.2 (February 2018): 616-622. Full Text
Steelman, ZA, Eldridge, WJ, Weintraub, JB, and Wax, A. "Is the nuclear refractive index lower than cytoplasm? Validation of phase measurements and implications for light scattering technologies." Journal of Biophotonics 10.12 (December 2017): 1714-1722. Full Text
Chowdhury, S, Eldridge, WJ, Wax, A, and Izatt, JA. "Structured illumination microscopy for dual-modality 3D sub-diffraction resolution fluorescence and refractive-index reconstruction." Biomedical optics express 8.12 (December 2017): 5776-5793. Full Text
Pages
Song, G, Kim, S, Crose, M, Cox, B, Brown, W, and Wax, A. "Design and implementation of a low-cost, portable OCT system." January 1, 2018. Full Text
Zhao, Y, Chu, KK, Eldridge, WJ, Jelly, ET, Crose, M, and Wax, A. "Speckle reduction in optical coherence tomography at video rate." January 1, 2018. Full Text
Jelly, ET, Zhao, Y, Crose, M, Kim, S, Cox, B, Song, G, and Wax, A. "Adaptability and performance of low-cost OCT System for use in Benchtop optical coherence microscopy." January 1, 2018. Full Text
Ho, D, Chu, KK, Steelman, ZA, and Wax, A. "Scanning angle-resolved low coherence interferometry system for clinical detection of cervical dysplasia." January 1, 2018. Full Text
Wax, A. "Development of a low-cost, portable optical coherence tomography (OCT) system." January 1, 2018. Full Text
Zhao, Y, Maher, JR, Ibrahim, MM, Chien, JS, Levinson, H, and Wax, A. "In vivo rat skin flap viability assessment using dual axis spectroscopic optical coherence tomography." January 1, 2017. Full Text
Wax, A. "Nanoscale phase imaging of live cells." January 1, 2017. Full Text
Zhao, Y, Maher, JR, and Wax, A. "Toward the assessment of blood oxygenation using multispectral multiple scattering low coherence interferometry." April 18, 2016. Full Text
Kim, S, Crose, M, Kresty, LA, and Wax, A. "Guidance of angle-resolved low coherence interferometry using co-located optical coherence tomography on rat esophageal tissue." April 18, 2016. Full Text
Kim, S, Crose, M, Kresty, LA, and Wax, A. "Guidance of angle-resolved low coherence interferometry using co-located optical coherence tomography on rat esophageal tissue." April 18, 2016.