Kamran Avanaki

Associate Professor

Research Interests

My area of research expertise is biomedical imaging instrumentation, specifically photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), as well as the development of signal/image analysis algorithms for machine learning applications.
My vision is to use these imaging modalities with my image analysis algorithms to develop real-time, non-invasive imaging protocols that assist diagnosis of diseases related to the human brain and skin. We have recently expanded our research area to small animal brain imaging for neuroscience research to answer questions related to the neurocircuitry of addiction and other behaviors.
One major pillar of research in my lab is the development of diagnostic assistant methods for melanoma. The current standard of care involves performance of many biopsies to identify one melanoma; resulting in pain, anxiety, scarring and disfigurement for patients, as well as a considerable cost for the healthcare system. We have developed several methodologies based on OCT or PAI, with and without the use of contrast agents, to reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies and diagnose melanoma in its earliest stage.
The other major pillar of research in my lab is the development of bedside imaging systems to assess the brain of premature and/or low birth weight (

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