Nigerian Receives Award For His Cancer-seeing Technology

Samuel Achilefu, Nigerian-born professor of radiology and biomedical engineering, has received the prominent St. Louis Award for 2014 for creating cancer-seeing technology.

High-tech glasses developed by a Washington University group led by Samuel Achilefu, PhD, professor of radiology and biomedical engineering, helps doctors see cancer cells. Photo courtesy of Washington University School of Medicine

The scientist and his team created the imaging technology in cancer

diagnosis into a wearable night vision-like glasses so doctors could see the cancer cells while operating, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

Achilefu, who is 52, in his acceptance speech said: “They basically have to operate in the dark”.

“I thought, what if we create something that let’s you see things that aren’t available to the ordinary human eye.”