Chair for diagnosing cancer diseases using laser

The Research Chair in Laser Diagnosis of Cancer (LDC) is active in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University. It was established in 2009 and has been very active since then. The team is led by Prof. Mohamed Salih El Salhi, Chair of the Chair. The group consists of Dr. S. Devanesan, Dr. R. Saradh Prasad, Dr. Mohd Atif, and several aspiring research students (including Faculty of Dentistry and University City students) who are working towards achieving excellence in cancer diagnostic research.
The LDC Research Chair focuses on the use of lasers and other light sources as diagnostic tools to differentiate between normal control and different types of cancers and blood disorders.

• We use visual biopsy, to screen for current and future cancer and other premorbid risks using bodily fluids such as blood plasma and urine samples. In addition to newly developed diagnostic techniques for the use of lasers or fluorescent lights to measure specific biomarkers for each individual. (Control normal, cancer cells, and blood disorders). The diagnostic method can distinguish each case with sensitivity and specificity above 75%. This technique is inexpensive, less time consuming, and very useful for low-income countries and small clinics for initial screening.
• We are developing new lasers using low-cost materials that can be used in laser diagnosis and imaging of cancerous tissues. We also develop lasers using conjugated polymers, conjugated oligomers, quantum dots and perovskites. We are developing sensors that can be used to identify cancer and other blood-related diseases. 
• We are developing a small nanolab (facilitated by most tools), which mainly focuses on the green synthesis of nanoparticles using medicinal plants and the evaluation of their biological properties. The synthesized nanomaterials will be tested for different types of bacteria (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) as well as other cancer cell strains.
  The research chair has facilitated various types of lasers, solar cell system, cell cultures and microbial research units, with a good research laboratory and peaceful working environment setup. 
• We are developing new OLEDs, solar cells and sensors that will enable our diagnostic equipment to be usable In low-income countries and remote locations.
• The group has achieved 14 US patents and 7 registered US patents. LDC team members have published more than 300 research articles in reputable journals.

Team members:

From left to right: Prof. Dr. Muhammad Al-Salihi, Dr. Devanesan, d. Sarad Prasad, Dr. Mohamed Atef, a. Nawaf Al-Harbi.