USC-Olympus partnership in multiscale bioimaging furthers precision medicine

As a global leader in endoscopy and life science solutions, Olympus has long been committed to promoting awareness of cancer screening, prevention and testing. In this spirit, the company recently forged a partnership with the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC). To capture the importance of this initiative, and in anticipation of the grand opening of the Ellison Institute’s new building, Olympus has created a video highlighting the relationship between imaging analysis tools and precision cancer medicine. One focus of the partnership is encouraging projects that engage translational oncology and precision anti-cancer drug screening.

The USC-Olympus Innovation Partnership in Multiscale Bioimaging advances multiscale research into cancer prevention, furthering precision medicine’s role in diagnosis and treatment. The Ellison Institute aims to change the way cancer is treated and prevented by driving transdisciplinary, patient-centered and nimble research programs to shape clinical care. Innovative Olympus technologies will be instrumental in advancing biological imaging.

The partnership is guided by the scientific leadership of two internationally recognized leaders: oncologist and biomedical entrepreneur David Agus, M.D., and optical and imaging researcher Scott Fraser, Ph.D. Together, with their respective teams, they are pioneering the development of new technologies to enable 3D and 4D imaging of single cells, organoids, and tumor ecosystems.

“We view one of our main goals as redefining what’s possible,” said Dr. Fraser. “The work that’s happening in this partnership really enables us to ask questions about cells in their normal environment, guided by the information needed for the best clinical insights.”

Dr. Agus commented, “The idea of using deeper imaging, getting much more detail from the images and using that to better understand what is going on, is powerful. And, so, we now have the ability, through imaging technology, of learning so much more. And it’s a combination of the imaging technology with the ability to interpret that data that I think is going to yield one of the biggest breakthroughs in how we treat and understand cancer.”

“Since Olympus developed its first microscope one hundred years ago, the company has made many advances in imaging technology,” said Julien Sauvagnargues, President of Olympus Corporation of the Americas. “This partnership exemplifies the importance of working closely with scientists to enable groundbreaking research in pathology and cytology. It also draws upon our strengths in visualizing anatomy as we have done in a pioneering manner since the development of the world’s first gastrocamera in 1950. We are honored to be included in this effort to understand some of our most deadly diseases.”

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