Using Physics to Diagnose Disease

Rapidly evolving technology could one day allow you to skip an invasive medical procedure in favor of sending your labs to the doctor by uploading a screenshot from your phone.

Thanks to pioneering research, this is the future of personalized medicine and disease diagnostics, according to Regents’ Professor of Physics Unil Perera.

“In 10 to 15 years, I hope to see this technology in your smartphone, and in your everyday life,” Perera says. “Imagine being able to take your own health readings from the comfort of your home. The potential for early detection and personalized medicine is enormous.”

For Perera, the reality of non-invasive, accessible medical diagnostics is advancing thanks to innovative technology known as ATR-FTIR spectroscopy — short for attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared. It’s a method of investigating the molecular composition of materials using infrared light to reveal tiny details usually hidden from view. By applying it to medical diagnostics, diseases like melanoma can be detected early from an infrared scan.

Perera’s research methods have already shown the potential for advancing diagnostics for multiple conditions, and his work has garnered patents for detection of melanoma, lymphoma, colitis, and other types of cell activation.

The next step? Tracing disease progression. His latest research focuses on precisely gauging how a disease advances over the course of days and working to define benchmarks which could then be applied in real-world, clinical settings. This kind of diagnostic could eventually be used to identify, for example, the treatment efficacy of a particular drug, giving the physician the chance to respond as quickly as needed.

“The beauty of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy lies in its ability to provide detailed molecular data and identify disease progression without needing invasive procedures,” Perera explains. “The hope is to develop technology that can be embedded in everyday devices, allowing individuals to monitor their health without stepping into a clinic.”

With this approach, he believes the advancements could revolutionize the way we diagnose everything from the common cold to colon cancer.

Perera also has a deep passion for teaching and mentoring the next generation of scientists. He has been inspiring students at Georgia State for more than 30 years with his basic teaching philosophy of “Don’t be afraid of physics.” Perera’s lab is currently home to five graduate students, each contributing to the collaborative research underway.

“Physics is all about curiosity,” he says. “It’s about asking, ‘Why and How?’ and then pushing boundaries to find the answers.”

Perera’s teaching philosophy is rooted in creating an environment where students feel empowered to ask big questions and explore possibilities without the fear of failure. “In science, failure isn’t the end. It’s often the beginning of something new,” he says.

In addition, Perera’s work exemplifies the multi-disciplinary nature of modern scientific discovery. To solve complex problems, Perera brings together experts from a variety of fields, including engineering, chemistry, biology and mathematics — as well as physics. He is a fellow with the engineering and technology society IEEE, the American Physical Society (APS) and the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) and he encourages this multifaceted approach with his students.

“Studying physics opens doors to more than just one field. It’s the key to data science, semiconductors and even the companies shaping the future like Nvidia,” Perera says. “With curiosity and a willingness to ask questions, physics can take you anywhere, from computer programming to cutting-edge engineering. It’s not just about what you learn, but what you can create.”