Nigerian Scientist Invents Infrared Goggles That Enable Surgeons See Cancer Cells
Dr. Samuel Achilefu, a Nigerian-American scientist has developed cancer-visualization goggles that use near-infrared fluorescence to help surgeons distinguish malignant tissue from healthy tissue during surgery with exceptional precision.
Vanguard reports that Achilefu was born in Nigeria and is now a global innovator. Dr. Achilefu’s groundbreaking work in molecular imaging has transformed cancer surgery, earning widespread recognition for advancing patient care.
Dr. Samuel Achilefu was born in 1963 in northern Nigeria, but the family later moved to the southeast of Nigeria when he was five years old for safety reasons during the Nigerian Civil War (Biafran War). He completed his primary and secondary education in the Southeast during the war era.
Dr. Achilefu later proceeded to France on a French Government Scholarship to further his education. He received his PhD from the University of Nancy and his postdoctoral studies at Oxford University in England.
Dr. Samuel Achilefu career started in 1993 when he was hired to work at Mallinckrodt Medical in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2001, he later joined the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University, where he founded the Optical Radiology Programme. The initiative, which now has over 80 researchers, focuses on medical imaging, specifically cancer diagnosis and therapy.
His most notable invention, the cancer visualization goggles, has really impacted cancer surgery. The goggles, which use fluorescent technology, enable doctors to see cancer cells shining, allowing for more accurate tumor removal during surgery. This breakthrough has elevated him to a position of influence in the medical world, earning him countless awards.
Dr. Achilefu is happily married for 21 years to Nnenna, and together, they have two children: Chisara, a 19-year-old daughter who studies at Washington University, and Kelechi, their 16-year-old son.
Dr. Samuel Achilefu has received numerous honours and awards throughout his career. Some of his notable awards include the Technical Innovation Award from Mallinckrodt Medical, Inc. in 1995, and a Fellow of the SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics) in 2008. He has also been recognized with the Achiever Award from the St. Louis Science Center in 2008, and the St. Louis Innovator Award in 2011.
Achilefu is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Biomedical Optics and the Scientific Reports, alongside being a member of prestigious advisory boards like the National Cancer Institute’s Intramural Molecular Imaging Programme.
He has over 300 published papers and over 70 medical patents in the United States.
He was born in Obingwa, in Abia State. Nigeria and has a PhD in molecular physical and materials chemistry followed by postdoctoral training in oxygen transport systems at Oxford University.
Before this invention, it was difficult for cancer surgeons to 100% see every cancer cell. Surgeons had to wait for lab results to know if they removed every tumor. His infrared, fluorescence-guided goggles allow surgeons to see glowing cancer cells in real time.
