Discover Hamed Abbasi’s story, a researcher at the Center for Optical Diagnostics and Therapy at Erasmus Medical Center, who benefited from the “FBI Access Fund” in 2024. Thanks to this program, Hamed was able to visit PRIMACEN, a cell imaging platform that is part of the Normandie Node. This collaboration enabled him to gather robust data and secure a grant to develop an advanced fluorescence lifetime system for intraoperative use, supporting surgeons with real-time visual guidance to identify and delineate tumors.

To start, could you tell us a bit about yourself? What has been your academic journey so far, and what is your current role or area of work?

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by optics. My late father was an optician, and as a teenager, I spent my summers working with him. That’s where I first learned the fundamentals of optics, which later inspired me to pursue the subject academically. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics with a minor in Lasers and Optics, followed by a Master’s in Photonics, where I developed a laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy system for non-destructive quality assessment of agricultural products as part of my thesis.

After graduation, I spent several years in industry as an Optical System Designer and Developer, working on spectrometers, hyperspectral imaging systems, colorimeters, and tunable lasers. During that time, I also worked part-time as a lecturer at an opticianry school, training industry professionals looking to deepen their understanding of optics.

Eventually, I decided to pursue a PhD and was admitted to the Biomedical Engineering program at the University of Basel in Switzerland. My doctoral research focused on developing a closed-loop optical feedback system to monitor a laser osteotomy setup using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). I graduated magna cum laude in 2020.

Shortly after, I joined the Center for Optical Diagnostics and Therapy at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the largest hospital in the Netherlands, where I still work in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Within our department, I have developed several innovative photonics-based technologies to address unmet clinical needs in oncological surgery, including approaches based on Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence molecular imaging.

What are you currently working on in your research? What is the main topic or challenge you’re exploring?

The central theme of my current research is photonics-guided surgery. Among the many optical techniques available, we focus primarily on fluorescence molecular imaging. This intraoperative imaging method provides surgeons with real-time visual guidance to identify and delineate tumors.

Within our fluorescence-guided surgery group, we have conducted multiple clinical trials using this innovative approach, applying various tumor-targeted fluorescent tracers. In these procedures, patients receive a tracer before surgery, and during the operation, dedicated imaging systems are used to visualize the tumor in real time.

We are continually working to improve both the sensitivity and specificity of our systems, which remains a significant challenge, as enhancing one often compromises the other.

At what point did you come across France-BioImaging, and what made you want to use its services or connect with the infrastructure?

Before learning about France-BioImaging specifically, I was already familiar with Euro-BioImaging, since our internal imaging center (Erasmus Optical Imaging Centre Core Facility in Rotterdam) is one of its nodes. Our microscopy center is also part of NL-BioImaging, the national imaging infrastructure in the Netherlands. I was aware that similar national infrastructures exist across Europe, but I didn’t know much about France-BioImaging until it announced a call for external users.

I came across the announcement on LinkedIn, and it immediately caught my attention. I visited the France-BioImaging website and began exploring the various facilities. After reaching out to a few of them, I eventually found the center that had the specific microscope I needed: the PRIMACEN/Cell Imaging platform in Normandy.

Could you walk us through your experience accessing France-BioImaging? Which facility did you work with, how did the process go, and what stood out to you during your time there?

I contacted the PRIMACEN facility by email, and we quickly arranged an online meeting. That’s when I had the opportunity to speak with Ludovic Galas and Damien Schapman. During the meeting, I explained what I was looking for, and they confirmed that they had exactly the instrument I needed: a fluorescence lifetime microscope with sensitivity in the near-infrared range. It was perfect for my project.

Right after our meeting, I prepared a proposal and submitted it to the France-BioImaging user access call. Once my proposal was accepted, I reconnected with Ludovic and Damien to organize two one-week visits.

I visited the facility twice and had an excellent experience. The team at PRIMACEN was incredibly welcoming and supportive. It was not only a great opportunity to access cutting-edge infrastructure but also to meet and work with wonderful people.

What did microscopy bring to your project specifically? Were there insights or results you couldn’t have obtained otherwise?

Performing fluorescence lifetime imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) region is quite challenging for several reasons. First, detector sensitivity in the NIR range is generally lower than in the visible spectrum. Similarly, NIR fluorophores might have lower brightness compared to many visible ones. And finally, fluorescence lifetimes in the NIR are significantly shorter than those in the visible range. All of this makes it difficult to obtain robust and reliable data.

Despite these challenges, I was able to collect strong proof-of-principle results that supported my hypothesis. I remember leaving Normandy with a big smile on my face, almost certain that this data would help me secure a grant to develop an advanced NIR fluorescence lifetime imager for clinical use, and Bingo, it did! Just a few months later, together with our external industry partner and my colleagues at Erasmus Medical Center, Dominic Robinson and Stijn Keereweer, we were awarded a grant from Health~Holland.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging adds an additional layer of information to conventional intensity-based fluorescence imaging by measuring the temporal decay dynamics of the emitted fluorescence signal.

The project focuses on developing an advanced fluorescence lifetime system for intraoperative use, in close collaboration with our consortium partner Single Quantum, a Delft-based company known for developing the world’s fastest and most sensitive light sensors, with unmatched precision.

Without the microscopy data from PRIMACEN, it would have been much more difficult to convince the grant committee. That proof-of-principle experiment made all the difference.

Looking back, would you encourage other researchers to use France-BioImaging’s platforms and access program? What would you say to someone considering it?

Absolutely. I would strongly encourage any researcher in need of advanced microscopy to consider using France-BioImaging’s platforms. The infrastructure is state-of-the-art, and the people are incredibly helpful and welcoming.

And don’t worry, if you receive an email from them and see “FBI,” it’s not the Federal Bureau of Investigation! It’s just the friendly acronym for France-BioImaging. My experience was both scientifically rewarding and personally enjoyable, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to others.