Headshot portrait of Adam de la Zerda - Bio-X Skippy Frank Fellow
Bio-X Graduate Student Fellow

Awarded in 2008
Home Department: Electrical Engineering
Faculty Advisor: Sanjiv Sam Gambhir (Bioengineering, Radiology)

Research Title: Photoacoustic molecular imaging and its biomedical applications

Research Description: In Adam’s research, he developed a new technique for non-invasive imaging of living subjects called "Photo-acoustic Molecular Imaging." Using this technique, physicians will be able to monitor various proteins specific to a particular disease, indicating the molecular characteristics of the disease (e.g., whether breast cancer is responding to a chemotherapy or not). He designed a photo-acoustic imaging instrument and a number of molecular contrast agents that produce a photoacoustic signal upon binding to breast cancer cells. His final goal was to integrate the imaging instrument with the cancer-detecting contrast agents by testing them on mice carrying a human breast cancer.

WHERE IS HE NOW?

Adam is an associate professor of structural biology at Stanford University and the Founder of Visby Medical.