# Samuel Achilefu

Samuel Achilefu is a Nigerian-born scientist and medical researcher who has pioneered both fundamental and applied research in science, engineering, and medicine. Dr. Samuel Achilefu is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he holds the Lyda Hill Distinguished University Chair in Biomedical Engineering. He is also Professor of Radiology and a member of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Before joining UT Southwestern, he was the Michel M. Ter-Pogossian Professor of Radiology and Vice Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine. He held joint appointments as a professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and biomedical engineering. He also served as the Director of the Washington University Molecular Imaging Center and the privately funded Theranostic Innovation Program and was co-director of the Center for Multiple Myeloma Nanotherapy and co-Leader of the Oncologic Imaging Program of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University.
Achilefu is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors as well as many professional societies, including the Royal Society of Chemistry, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Optical Society of America, the International Society for Optics and Photonics Engineers (SPIE), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the St. Louis Academy of Science. A member of the National Advisory Council for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NACBIB) and the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Cancer Institute’s intramural Molecular Imaging Program, he also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Current Analytical Chemistry and an editorial board member of many scientific publications. Dr. Achilefu is a former trustee of Loma Linda University in California. He was a member of the College of Reviewers for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and served as a member and chair of grant review panels for the NIH, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

## Education

Achilefu earned his PhD from the University of Nancy in France as a French Government Scholar and his postdoctoral training at Oxford University in England.
He was recruited from Oxford to St. Louis to work for Mallinckrodt Medical in 1993 and joined the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in 2001, where he established the more than 80-member Optical Radiology program at the School of Medicine.

## Research

Achilefu is an expert in the development and use of light-sensitive drugs for cancer detection, imaging, and therapy. Recently, he conceived and led the development of a novel wearable cancer viewing goggles for the accurate removal of cancer cells during surgery. The cancer goggle works on the principle of optical imaging. Optical imaging enables real-time visualization of intrinsic and exogenous contrast within biological tissues. Cancer goggles are designed to make it easier for surgeons to distinguish malignant cells from healthy cells, helping to ensure that no stray tumor cells are left behind during surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. He also discovered a novel treatment paradigm for cancer using a special type of light and non-pharmacological doses of drugs to selectively trigger cancer cell death without harming healthy tissue. These and many other innovations have resulted in 59 issued US patents and over 300 scientific papers.
Achilefu has received over 30 local, national, and international honors and awards, including the Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award in 2019 at SPIE, Distinguished Investigator Award in 2018 (Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research), the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award in 2018 (Washington University), Excellence in Healthcare Award in 2017 (St. Louis American), the first Department of Defense Distinguished Investigator Award in 2016 (DoD Breast Cancer Research Program), IEEE Donald G. Fink Award (2016), Outstanding Scientist Award in 2015 (St. Louis Academy of Science), Best Global Impact 2015 (Alive magazine), St. Louis Innovator Award 2015, the Medical Innovation Award in 2014 (St. Louis Business Journal), St. Louis Award in 2014 (St. Louis Award Committee), Featured Innovator 2014 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek), Achiever Award 2008 (Blacks in Science), Extraordinary Performance Award 1998 (Mallinckrodt, Inc.), and Technical Innovation Award 1995 (Mallinckrodt Medical, Inc.).
Achilefu is featured in many public media. Representative examples include:
* Physics Worlds – Optics and Photonics Spotlight
* SPIE announces 2019 Society Awards
* Scientists Report Advances in Light-source Medicine to Help Fight Metastatic Cancer
* National Public Radio; Story Collider: When science complicates home and family
* 2018 AAAS Fellows approved by the AAAS Council
* Tumor imaging technique has potential as anti-cancer weapon, mouse study shows
* Glasses that make cancer glow
* New high-tech glasses detect cancer cells during surgery
* Goggles help surgeons ‘see’ tumours
* Special glasses help surgeons ‘see’ cancer
* Who To Watch: Samuel Achilefu, PhD
* New ‘Cancer Goggles’ help surgeons spot malignant tumors
* Hi-tech goggles 'detect cancer cells”
* Cancer-Spotting Goggles Help Surgeons Remove Diseased Cells
* Medical Innovator Award: Sam Achilefu, Washington University School of Medicine
* Inventor of 'Cancer Goggles' Receives St. Louis Award
* Academy of Science-St. Louis honors Washington University researchers
* Achilefu receives prestigious St. Louis Award

## Honors and awards

| 1995 | Technical Innovation Award, Mallinckrodt Medical, Inc. |
| 1998 | Extraordinary Performance Award, Mallinckrodt, Inc. |
| 2001-present | Editorial Board, Journal of Biomedical Optics |
| 2002-present | Co-Editor, Proceedings of the SPIE on Molecular Reporters/Probes for Biomedical Applications |
| 2004-2008 | Member, Microscopic Imaging Study Section, National Institute of Health (NIH) |
| 2004-2008 | Member, Breast Cancer and Era of Hope Scholars peer-review panels, Department of Health (DoD) |
| 2004-present | Member, Scientific Advisory Board, National Cancer Institute's Intramural Molecular Imaging Program |
| 2008 | Achiever Award, St. Louis Science Center |
| 2008 | Fellow, SPIE – International society for optics and photonics |
| 2009-2018 | Member, NIH Medical Imaging Study Section |
| 2010-2015 | Overseas Distinguished International Professor, China Pharmaceutical University |
| 2010 | Chair, Review Panel on Lung Cancer Research Program Collaborative Translational Research Award, CDMRP, DoD |
| 2011 | Chair, SBIR Molecular Imaging and Cell Biology Study Section, NIH |
| 2011 | SPIE Fellow, International Society for Optics and Photonics |
| 2011 | St Louis innovator award, Alive magazine 2011 |
| 2012-2016 | Member, Board of Trustees, Loma Linda University, CA |
| 2013-present | Editorial Board, Scientific Reports |
| 2014 | Medical Innovator Award, St. Louis Business Journal |
| 2014 | Inventor, Bloomberg BusinessWeek (March 2014) |
| 2014 | St. Louis Award |
| 2014 | Outstanding scientist fellow award, academy of Science |
| 2014-present | Editor-in-Chief, Current Analytical Chemistry |
| 2015 | St. Louis Innovator Award (Alive magazine) |
| 2015 | Best Global Impact Award, We Heart Stl |
| 2015 | Fellow, Academy of Science – St. Louis |
| 2016 | Donald G. Fink Award, IEEE |
| 2016 | Fellow, the Royal Society of Chemistry |
| 2017 | Fellow, Optical Society of America |
| 2017 | St. Louis American Excellence in Healthcare Award |
| 2018 | Fellow, National Academy of Inventors |
| 2018 | Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award |
| 2018 | Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
| 2019 | Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award |
| 2019 | Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) |
| 2019 | SPIE Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award |
| 2020 | Member, National Advisory Council for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH |
| 2020 | Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine |
References
* ↑ "Researcher - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms". Vocabulary.com. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu, Ph.D. | ISBI 2018". Retrieved 30 May 2020.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu". profiles.utsouthwestern.edu. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
* ↑ "Molecular imaging innovator Samuel Achilefu, Ph.D., to launch, lead Biomedical Engineering Department at UT Southwestern". www.utsouthwestern.edu. February 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
* ↑ "Achilefu named inaugural Michel M. Ter-Pogossian Professor of Radiology". Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu, PhD". Optical Radiology Lab. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
* ↑ "Meet Dr Samuel Achilefu, award-winning Nigerian scientist and inventor of 'cancer goggles'". Rising Africa. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
* ↑ "Molecular Imaging Center Home: Malllinckrodt Institute of Radiology". www.mir.wustl.edu. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu, PhD". Siteman Cancer Center. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
* ↑ "Medical School faculty named to National Academy of Inventors". Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
* ↑ "AAAS names 11 Washington University faculty as fellows | The Source | Washington University in St. Louis". The Source. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu - Chief, Chair, Director, Professor of Radiology in St louis, Missouri, United States of America | eMedEvents". www.emedevents.com. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu's Groundbreaking Translational Work Wins the 2019 SPIE Britton Chance Award in Biomedical Optics". spie.org. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
* ↑ Calendar, The Events (April 2016). "June Webinar – Nanoparticle Biosafety – Midwest Area Biosafety Network". Retrieved 30 May 2020.
* ↑ "Medical School faculty named to National Academy of Inventors". Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
* ↑ Goodwin, Jim (2 February 2016). "Washington People: Samuel Achilefu - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis". The Source. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Samuel Achilefu's Groundbreaking Translational Work Wins the 2019 SPIE Britton Chance Award in Biomedical Optics". spie.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ Cappelletti, Casey (9 January 2019). "2018 Distinguished Investigators". The Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Achilefu, Elgin to receive 2018 faculty achievement awards | The Source | Washington University in St. Louis". The Source. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ Jordan, Sandra (20 April 2017). "Seven excellent awardees". St. Louis American. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Achilefu Gets DOD Distinguished Investigator Award in Breast Cancer – The Cancer Letter". cancerletter.com. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "We Heart STL: Tech". Alive. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "ALIVE Recognizes 35 Bold Minds Creating A Better St. Louis In Its Inaugural Innovation Issue". Alive. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* 1 2 "Cancer-Spotting Goggles Help Surgeons Remove Diseased Cells". Bloomberg.com. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Biomedical optics in the spotlight". Physics World. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "SPIE announces 2019 Society Awards". optics.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Scientists Note Advances in Light-source Medicine to Fight Breast Cancer". Breast Cancer News. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ Chen, Eli (17 August 2018). "Story Collider: When science complicates home and family". news.stlpublicradio.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ Science, American Association for the Advancement of (30 November 2018). "2018 AAAS Fellows approved by the AAAS Council". Science. 362 (6418): 1010–1013. Bibcode:2018Sci...362.1010.. doi:10.1126/science.362.6418.1010. ISSN 0036-8075.
* ↑ "Tumor imaging technique has potential as anti-cancer weapon, mouse study shows". medicalxpress.com. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Glasses that make cancer glow". Reuters. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "New high-tech glasses detect cancer cells during surgery". phys.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Goggles help surgeons 'see' tumours". 13 April 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Special glasses help surgeons 'see' cancer". hecmedia.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Who To Watch: Samuel Achilefu, PhD". hecmedia.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "New 'Cancer Goggles' help surgeons spot malignant tumors". FOX2now.com. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Hi-tech goggles 'detect cancer cells'". BBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Medical | Individual - Sam Achilefu, Washington University School of Medicine". www.bizjournals.com. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ Bouscaren, Durrie (15 January 2015). "Inventor of 'Cancer Goggles' Receives St. Louis Award". news.stlpublicradio.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Academy of Science-St. Louis honors Washington University researchers | The Source | Washington University in St. Louis". The Source. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "Achilefu receives prestigious St. Louis Award | The Source | Washington University in St. Louis". The Source. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
* ↑ "BioMedical Optics Award - SPIE". spie.org. Retrieved 1 September 2020.