David J. Cuccia, PhD, Chief Technology Officer and CEO at Modulated Imaging, Inc. in Irvine, California, will receive the 2012 Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Grant at the annual conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, which will be held on April 20-22 in Kissimmee, Florida.

Cuccia will use the $5,000 award to study business management science and to advance his professional development as an entrepreneur, according to a press release. Cuccia earned his PhD in biomedical engineering in 2006 from the University of California, Irvine with support from a National Science Foundation Graduate fellowship. His graduate work helped him develop a new technology for quantitative sub-surface imaging of tissues known as “Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI)” or “Modulated Imaging.” SFDI employs relatively simple consumer electronics technologies such as digital light projectors and cameras, and turns them into powerful medical instruments that are capable of imaging 5-10 mm beneath the tissue surface. Cuccia used this technology to start Modulated Imaging, Inc. in Dec. 2006. The company is currently focused on developing applications that will support burn wound triage, noninvasive identification and assessment of skin cancer, rapid tumor margin delineation, guidance of surgical intervention, identification and monitoring of chronic wounds, and monitoring of chemotherapeutic efficacy.

The annual Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Grant recognizes and encourages the development of future technology innovators in light energy and related technologies. The award was established by Candela Corporation, Cynosure, and DEKA to honor Dr. Horace Furumoto who developed the world’s first practical dye laser, the Flashlamp-excited Dye Laser (FEDL). Furumoto also founded Candela Laser Corporation and Cynosure, Inc.

Source: ASLMS