Drezek's Optical Molecular Imaging and Nanobiotechnology Laboratory approaches projects from an interdisciplinary perspective and actively collaborates with clinicians, molecular biologists, biochemists, and other researchers located within Rice and the Texas Medical Center.

In current medical practice, a final diagnosis of cancer or a precancerous condition is achieved only after histopathologic analysis of a directed biopsy. Biopsies are invasive, painful, and expensive. Moreover, many of the complex changes in cellular biochemistry and morphology that accompany the earliest stages of a disease process are not detectable through routine microscopic examination. Emerging photonics technologies provide the exciting opportunity to capitalize on subtle biophysical changes in tissue to provide quantitative, real-time, minimally invasive detection and diagnosis of disease. Areas of current emphasis include:

• Developing novel optical spectroscopy and imaging instrumentation for tissue diagnosis;
• Validating optical instrumentation through systematic studies using biological samples of progressively increasing complexity, beginning at the cellular level and culminating in small-scale clinical trials;
• Developing molecular-specific optical contrast agents;
• Conducting studies to elucidate the biophysical origins of measured optical signals; and
• Using computational modeling techniques that capture the interaction of light with biological tissue. Thus understanding the relationships between measured optical signals and underlying tissue biochemistry, morphology, and architecture.