Laura Marcu, Ph.D.

Laura Marcu, professor of biomedical engineering and neurological surgery at the University of California, Davis, has been recognized as a Fellow by the National Academy of Inventors.

Founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the NAI aims to enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society.

Marcu’s laboratory promotes better diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human diseases through optical spectroscopy and imaging techniques for medical diagnostics. In particular, her team uses fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy, ultrasound and optical coherence tomography to study disease processes in biological tissue. She is a fellow of the Optical Society, the International Society of Optical Engineering, the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering… Continue reading.

A newly developed, single-catheter probe that combines intravascular ultrasounds with fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) in one device could be the answer to physicians’ difficulties predicting plaque rupture, a study published in Scientific Reports suggests.

The catheter was developed by Laura Marcu, PhD, and colleagues at her UC Davis-based lab. The device was a response to the fact that plaque rupture—an often fatal event that spurs heart attacks—is the number one root problem leading to sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S.

Previous attempts to identify plaque buildup in arteries have been limited; many cardiologists order angiographies, but those screenings only identify stenosis in blood vessels, and not all plaque buildup results in the narrowing of arteries. Intravascular ultrasounds (IVUS) can identify plaque burden based on its penetration depth of up to 10 mm-squared, Marcu and co-authors explained, but don’t have the spatial ability to recognize smaller-scale, biochemical changes in vessels. Optical coherence tomography succeeds in spatial resolution, but lacks the penetration depth necessary to assess plaque buildup… Continue reading.

Laura Marcu, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA). The nomination and selection process is highly competitive: OSA Fellows are chosen based on their overall impact on optics, as gauged via factors such as specific scientific, engineering and technological contributions; a record of significant publications or patents related to optics; technical leadership in the field; and serve to OSA and the global optics community.