Samuel Achilefu is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

-born

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

and

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...

er who has pioneered both fundamental and applied research in science, engineering, and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

. Dr. Samuel Achilefu is the Michel M. Ter-Pogossian

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

Radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

and Vice Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the

Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology The Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR), established 1931, is an academic radiology center associated with the Washington University School of Medicine, located within the Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. In additi ...

Washington University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with or ...

. He holds joint appointments as a professor of medicine,

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and molecular biophysics, and biomedical engineering. He currently serves as the Director of the

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Molecular Imaging Center and the privately funded Theranostic Innovation Program. He is co-director of th
Center for Multiple Myeloma Nanotherapy
and co-Leader of th
Oncologic Imaging Program
of the

Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is a cancer treatment, research and education institution with six locations in the St. Louis area. Siteman is the only cancer center in Mis ...

. Achilefu is a fellow of the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 2010. ...

as well as many professional societies, including the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

, the

Optical Society of America Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...

, the International Society for Optics and Photonics Engineers (

SPIE SPIE (formerly the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, later the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers) is an international not-for-profit professional society for optics and photonics technology, founded in 1955. It ...

), the

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington. It represents 50,000 medical and biomedical engineers, and academic institutions, private industry, ...

, and th
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 The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

’s intramural Molecular Imaging Program, he also serves as Editor-in-Chief o
Current Analytical Chemistry
and an editorial board member of many scientific publications. Dr. Achilefu is a former trustee of

Loma Linda University Loma Linda University (LLU) is a private Seventh-day Adventist health sciences university in Loma Linda, California. , the university comprises eight schools and a Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educatio ...

in California. He was a member of the College of Reviewers for the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH) and served as a member and chair of grant review panels for the NIH, the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

(DoD), and the

Susan G. Komen Foundation Susan G. Komen (formerly known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure; originally as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; often simply as Komen) is a breast cancer organization in the United States. Komen focuses on patient navigation and advo ...

Education

Achilefu earned his PhD from the

University of Nancy A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

as a French Government Scholar and his postdoctoral training at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in England. He was recruited from Oxford to St. Louis to work for Mallinckrodt Medical in 1993 and joined the

in 2001, where he established the more than 80-membe
Optical Radiology program
at the School of Medicine.

Research

Achilefu is an expert in the development and use of light-sensitive drugs for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

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 i
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 St. Louis American'' is a weekly newspaper serving the African-American community of St. Louis, Missouri. The first issue appeared in March 1928. In 1930, the newspaper started a "Buy Where You Can Work" campaign. Donald Suggs along with two ...

), 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 ''alive'' is a monthly Canadian natural health and wellness magazine. The magazine provides readers with information on leading healthy lifestyles, and focuses on a range of topics from natural health, organics, fitness, beauty, and nutrition, to h ...

), St. Louis Innovator Award 2015, the Medical Innovation Award in 2014 (

St. Louis Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

), St. Louis Award in 2014 (St. Louis Award Committee), Featured Innovator 2014 (

Bloomberg BusinessWeek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

), 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

References

Bibliography

# Samuel Achilefu Google Scholar Profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=YywM5OwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate # #Samuel Achilefu, director of Optical Radiology Laboratory: https://opticalradiologylab.wustl.edu/people/samuel-achilefu-phd/ #Samuel Achilefu Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/samuel.achilefu #Samuel Achilefu Twitter page: https://twitter.com/samuelachilefu?lang=en {{DEFAULTSORT:Achilefu, Samuel Nigerian scientists Nancy-Université alumni Nigerian expatriates in the United States Washington University in St. Louis faculty Nigerian inventors Members of the National Academy of Medicine