Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of The Ian Potter Foundation, Associate Professor Lih-Ming Wong, St Vincent’s urologist, and his team now have access to cutting-edge imaging technology with the potential to transform cancer diagnosis and surgery.
The new equipment, a Spectrum 3 Spectrometer, uses a light-based technique that reads the chemical “fingerprint” of tissue and delivers results in real time. By analysing how molecules such as proteins, fats and DNA respond to infrared light, the technology can rapidly distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue, without damaging samples or relying on dyes or stains.
The new equipment, a Spectrum 3 Spectrometer, uses a light-based technique that reads the chemical “fingerprint” of tissue and delivers results in real time. By analysing how molecules such as proteins, fats and DNA respond to infrared light, the technology can rapidly distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue, without damaging samples or relying on dyes or stains.
“Spectroscopy offers an exciting alternative to traditional methods of tissue diagnosis, which require tissue biopsy and sample preparation and are time-consuming and costly,” said A/Prof Wong. “We are pleased to be working closely with Professor Bayden Wood from Monash University’s Centre for Biospectroscopy as a key collaborator on this research.”
When combined with advanced computer analysis, the new approach will help A/Prof Wong and his team to identify cancer-related changes at a molecular level – in some cases before traditional pathology can detect visible abnormalities.
Early pilot studies in bladder cancer have already demonstrated diagnostic accuracy of up to 99 per cent, with further research now underway to explore its use during surgery and across other cancer types, including oesophageal cancer.
St Vincent’s will lead this important work as a partner of the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) – Australia’s first hospital-based, multidisciplinary medical innovation centre focused exclusively on MedTech, digital health, regenerative medicine manufacturing technology and research into human health. Other ACMD partners like the Swinburne University of Technology and St Vincent’s Institute will also have access to the machine.
Scheduled for its official opening in 2026, the ACMD is positioned directly adjacent to St Vincent’s public and private hospitals on St Vincent's Fitzroy Health and Innovation Precinct, bringing the clinical and research world together in a way yet to be seen in Victoria.
Early pilot studies in bladder cancer have already demonstrated diagnostic accuracy of up to 99 per cent, with further research now underway to explore its use during surgery and across other cancer types, including oesophageal cancer.
“The possibility of a cancer diagnosis is life-changing for patients and their families,” A/Prof Wong said. “Innovations that deliver accurate diagnoses in a less invasive and more efficient way can reduce anxiety, shorten the path to treatment, and improve outcomes at one of the most vulnerable moments in a patient’s life,” he said.
The Foundation’s $100,000 grant towards this medical research equipment to aid A/Prof Wong’s work. accelerates vital research, supporting clinician-led innovation, and helping bring earlier, more precise cancer diagnosis closer to everyday clinical care.
“Philanthropic donations such as those from The Ian Potter Foundation to St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne are essential because they enable high-impact, early-stage research that has the potential to fundamentally change patient care,” he said.
St Vincent’s will lead this important work as a partner of the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) – Australia’s first hospital-based, multidisciplinary medical innovation centre focused exclusively on MedTech, digital health, regenerative medicine manufacturing technology and research into human health. Other ACMD partners like the Swinburne University of Technology and St Vincent’s Institute will also have access to the machine.
Scheduled for its official opening in 2026, the ACMD is positioned directly adjacent to St Vincent’s public and private hospitals on St Vincent's Fitzroy Health and Innovation Precinct, bringing the clinical and research world together in a way yet to be seen in Victoria.
