Description

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a major clinical challenge because premalignant lesions, tumor margins, and early local recurrence are often difficult to detect using current diagnostic approaches. Standard methods, including clinical examination, imaging, and biopsy, remain limited by insufficient sensitivity, invasiveness, and sampling bias. There is therefore a strong need for non-invasive optical techniques capable of improving diagnosis, surgical guidance, and postoperative follow-up.

Mueller polarimetric imaging has shown strong potential for the detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions and for improving the delineation of surgical margins. LPICM is a pioneer in the development of this technique for biomedical applications and has already demonstrated its clinical potential, particularly in cervical imaging, through the development of a Mueller Polarimetric Colposcope and ongoing clinical studies in France.

In this context, this thesis aims to evaluate Mueller polarimetric imaging as a novel tool for improving the detection and management of HNSCC. The project will address three main objectives: early detection and diagnosis of at-risk patients, improved delineation of tumor margins to support surgical resection, and enhanced postoperative monitoring for the early identification of local recurrence or second primary tumors.

The PhD student will perform ex vivo and in vivo tissue analyses, polarimetric data processing, and modeling of the polarimetric signatures of healthy and pathological tissues, while also contributing to the development of machine learning and deep learning tools for automated diagnosis.
The thesis will be conducted in close collaboration between LPICM and the Institut Gustave Roussy (IGR).

Skills required

Strong background in optics and optical instrumentation Experience in optical measurements and signal processing Solid knowledge of physics and linear algebra Familiarity with advanced data processing methods, including machine learning and deep learning Proficiency in scientific programming languages, particularly Matlab and Python Ability and willingness to work in a multidisciplinary environment Strong motivation to interact closely with the medical field Good command of English

Bibliography

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J. Rehbinder, J. Vizet, J. Park, R. Ossikovski, J.-C. Vanel, A. Nazac, and A. Pierangelo “Depolarization imaging for fast and non-invasive monitoring of cervical microstructure remodeling in vivo during pregnancy” Scientific Reports, 12, 12321 (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-15852-w.

H. Yang, B. Liu, J. Park, O. Blaise, C. Duchesne, B. Honnorat, J. Vizet, A. Rousseau, and A. Pierangelo, “Mueller Polarimetric Imaging as a tool for detecting the effect of Non-Thermal Plasma treatment on the skin”, Biomed. Opt. Express, 14(6), 2736-2755 (2023). doi: 10.1364/BOE.482753.

J. Rehbinder, H. Haddad, S. Deby, B. Teig, A. Nazac, T. Novikova, A. Pierangelo, F. Moreau “Ex vivo Mueller polarimetric imaging of the uterine cervix: a first statistical evaluation” 21(7), 071113 (2016), J. Biomed. Optics (Special Issue of Journal of Biomedical Optics on Polarized Light). doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.21.7.071113

J. Vizet, J. Rehbinder, S. Deby, S. Roussel, A. Nazac, R. Soufan, C. Genestie, C. Haie-Meder, H. Fernandez, F. Moreau and A. Pierangelo “In vivo imaging of uterine cervix with a Mueller polarimetric colposcope”, Scientific Reports, 7(1), 2471 (2017). doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-02645-9.

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Keywords

Medical imaging, Mueller polarimetric imaging, Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, Screening/Early diagnosis, Histopathological mapping/Delineation of tumor extension, Postoperative follow-up