Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/609048
14 simon FALL 2015 05 NINETY-EIGHT PER CENT. That's the remarkable rate for surviving melanoma skin cancer when it's caught in the early stages. Unfortunately, that number shrinks to just 15 per cent when the cancer is advanced. Such stats are what prompted SFU PhD grad and research scientist Maryam Sadeghi to delve deeper into this area of study and eventually invent MoleScope, a smartphone attachment—essentially a mini microscope—that people can use to scan their moles and get a high- resolution, detailed view of their skin lesions. Sadeghi is also director of the Digital Health Hub, a partnership between SFU, the City of Surrey, and Fraser Health. Located on SFU's Surrey campus, the program aims to help academics and researchers create commercialized health-care products. These practical objectives are also what spurred Sadeghi to become an entrepreneur in health technology. In 2012, she teamed up with her husband Majid Razmara, PhD (another SFU grad), to start MetaOptima, a digital health company of which she's CEO. In the same year, she nabbed the prestigious Canadian Image Processing and Pattern Recognition Society (CIPPRS) Doctoral Dissertation Award. It's not surprising, then, that MoleScope is an a ordable and accessible version of the tools doctors use to diagnose skin cancer that lets people take control of their own health by scanning their moles and monitoring changes over time. After all, more than 70 per cent of skin cancer cases aren't discovered by a doctor, but rather a family member or the patient detecting changes in the skin. While she works tirelessly on her various ventures, Sadeghi's talents haven't gone unnoticed. In 2013 she was awarded SFU's Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal, and MetaOptima was recognized with a $40,000 Wavefront Wireless Prize in the BCIC–New Ventures competition. But perhaps the ultimate recognition came this year. In June, MoleScope nally hit the marketplace after years of research, development and prototyping, ful lling Sadeghi's goal of empowering people to take charge in the prevention and ght against cancer. Combatting Cancer by Mapping Moles 2005 2014 Collaboration. Breakthrough. If you had to distill SFU's fourth decade down to two words, those tell the story. Unique partnerships led to dual- degree programs and fi rst-to-market medical devices, while scientists cracked cancer codes and created the world's smallest book FROM SFU TO ZJU Simon Fraser University partners with Zhejiang University in China to develop a Dual Degree Program in Computing Science. The fl exible, award-winning program lets students study and pursue undergrad degrees at both schools. Evidence of its success: grads have been hired by top tech companies such as Twitter and Google. BIOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH Molecular biologist Stephen Jones and other researchers discover that therapies tailored to the genetic makeup of individual cancers could revolutionize how cancers are treated. Jones and fellow SFU grad Marco Marra are part of the BC Cancer Agency Genome Sciences Centre (BCCA-GSC) team that cracked the genetic code of a rare tongue tumour that had metastasized. (Read more about Marco Marra on page 37.] Researchers in SFU's Nano Imaging lab create the world's tiniest book, Teeny Ted from Turnip Town, which is smaller than the head of a pin. 05 07 (ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY) SONG BO; (CRESPI) DINA GOLDSTEIN, (MILUN TESOVIC) ADAM BLASBERG 2005 PATTERN RECOGNITION Kim Rossmo is awarded the Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy. As Canada's fi rst serving police offi cer to earn a PhD in criminology, Rossmo challenged the status quo by melding science with street smarts to pioneer geographic profi ling, which is now used internationally to investigate serial homicide. After winning the award, Rossmo said: "Creativity and unconventionality, by defi nition, threaten established practices and ways of thinking." (Turn to page 41 for a profi le of Rossmo.) 05 the status quo by melding science with street smarts to pioneer geographic profi ling, which is now used internationally to investigate serial homicide. After winning the award, Rossmo said: "Creativity and unconventionality, by defi nition, threaten established practices (Turn to page 41 for a profi le of of its success: grads have been hired by top tech companies such as Twitter and Google. 05 and pursue undergrad degrees at both schools. Evidence of its success: grads have been hired by top tech of its success: grads have been hired by top tech companies such as Twitter and Google.