Alex Vitkin
Alex Vitkin
- senior scientist/Fellow, Optical Society of America -


- updated 2010-07-21 -
Position
  • Senior Scientist - Ontario Cancer Institute & University Health Network (Division of Biophysics and Bioimaging)
  • Professor - Department of Medical Biophysics & Radiation Oncology - U. of Toronto
  • Medical Physicist - Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital (board certified, CCPM)

    • Location
    PMH Room 7-415
    Phone
    416-946-2990
    Email
    Alex.vitkin@rmp.uhn.on.ca
    Research Interests
  • laser-tissue interactions
  • optical coherence (and Doppler) tomography
  • polarized light-tissue studies
  • opto-thermal therapy and transfer in tissues
  • radiation oncology physics

    		•
    Biography (link to C.V.)
    Alex Vitkin is an engineering physicist/biomedical engineer by training, with further specialization in medical physics and applications of lasers in medicine. He is currently a professor of Medical Biophysics and Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto, a senior scientist in the division of BioPhysics and BioImaging at the Ontario Cancer Institute, and a clinical medical physicist at Princess Margaret Hospital (all in Toronto, Ontario, Canada). His research is the field of biophotonics, with particular emphasis on optical coherence tomography, tissue polarimetry, and optical fiber sensors. He has published over 100 papers and book chapters on diagnostic and therapeutic uses of light in biomedicine, holds several patents in the field, and currently runs a large laboratory with several undergraduate/graduate students and post-doctoral/clinical fellows. His laboratory works closely with clinicians and with industry, and he is a consultant for several biophotonics companies. He has served as a session chair and program organizer for various conferences in biomedical optics, such as Photonics North (Quebec City, Canada), Canadian Association of Physicists (Charlottetown, Canada), Bio-thermo-acoustics in Medicine (Denver, USA), Laser Applications in Life Sciences (Moscow, Russia), OSA Optics & Photonics Congress (Miami, USA), and European Conference on Biomedical Optics (Munich, Germany). Dr. Vitkin is a frequent research grant reviewer/panelist/site visitor for National Institutes of Health (NIH), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Centre for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technologies (CIMIT), and several other research granting agencies. He has been a Guest Editor for the Optics and Photonics News special issue on Biophotonics and for the Journal of Applied Physics special issue on Applied Biophysics, and currently serves as a topical editor of Optics Letters (2nd 3-year term). He has lectured widely at conferences at the national and international levels, including delivering special seminars and summer school modules on biophotonics in Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, New Zealand, Germany, USA, Cyprus, and Russia; he is currently an active participant in the SPIE Visiting Lecturer and OSA Travelling Lecturer programs. Dr. Vitkin is also a board-certified medical physicist through the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM), and is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA).

    Selected Publications
    Optical Polarization Effects in Tissues
  • Nirmalya Ghosh and I. Alex Vitkin, Tissue polarimetry: concepts, challenges, applications, and outlook, Journal of Biomedical Optics 16(11), (Nov 2011)
  • M. Ahmad, S. Alali, A. Kim, M. F. G. Wood, M. Ikram, and I. A. Vitkin, Do different turbid media with matched bulk optical properties also exhibit similar polozrization properties? Biomedical Optics Express, 2(12), 3248 (2011)
  • M F G Wood, N Vurgun, M A Wallenburg and I A Vitkin, Effects of formalin fixation on tissue optical polarization properties, Phys. Med. Biol., 56 (2011)
  • Michael F. G. Wood, Nirmalya Ghosh, Marika A. Wallenburg, Shu-Hong Li, Richard D. Weisel, Brian C. Wilson, Ren-Ke Li, and I. Alex Vitkin, Polarization birefringence measurements for characterizing the myocardium, including healty, infarcted, and stem-cell-regenerated tissues, Journal of Biomedical Optics 15(4), (Jul-Aug 2010)
  • Marika A. Wallenburg, Michael F. G. Wood, Nirmalya Ghosh, and I. Alex Vitkin, Polarimetry-based method to extract geometry-independent metrics of tissue anisotropy, Optical Letters 35(15), 2570-72 (Aug 2010)
  • Marika A. Wallenburg, Mihaela Pop, Michael F. G. Wood, Nirmalya Ghosh, Graham A. Wright, I. Alex Vitkin, Comparison of optical polarimetry and diffusion tensor MRI for assessing myocardial anisotropy, J. Innovative Optical Health Science, 3 (2), 109-121 (2010)
  • Nirmalya Ghosh, Michael F. G. Wood, I. Alex Vitkin, Influence of the order of the constituent basis matrices on the Mueller matrix decomposition-derived polarization parameters in complex turbid media such as biological tissues, Optics Communications, 283, 1200-1208 (2010)
  • Xinxin Guo, Michael F. G. Wood, Nirmalya Ghosh, I. Alex Vitkin, Depolarization of light in turbid media: a scattering event resolved Monte Carlo study, Applied Optics, 49 (2), 153-162 (January 2010)
  • Nirmalya Ghosh, Michael F. G. Wood, I. Alex Vitkin, Polarimetry in turbid, birefringent, optically active media: A Monte Carlo study of Mueller matrix decomposition in the backscattering geometry, Journal of Applied Physics, 105, 102023 (2009)
  • Michael F. G. Wood and Nirmalya Ghosh et al., Proof-of-principle demonstration of a Mueller matrix decomposition method for polarized light tissue characterization in vivo, Journal of Biomedical Optics, 14(1), 014029 (January/February 2009)
  • Nirmalya Ghosh and Michael F. G. Wood et al., Mueller matrix decomposition for polarized light assessment of biological tissues, J. Biophoton. 2 (3), 145-156 (2009)
  • Michael F. G. Wood, Nirmalya Ghosh, I. Alex Vitkin, Mueller matrix decomposition for extraction of individual polarization parameters from complex turbid media exhibiting multiple scattering, optical activity, and linear birefringence, Journal of Biomedical Optics, 13(4), 044036 (July/August 2008)
  • Michael F. G. Wood, Daniel Cote, I. Alex Vitkin, Combined optical intensity and polarization methodology for analyte concentration determination in simulated optically clear and turbid biological media, Journal of Biomedical Optics 13(4), 044037 (July/August 2008)
  • Xinxin Guo, Michael F. G. Wood, I. Alex Vitkin, Monte Carlo study of pathlength distribution of polarized light in turbid media, Optics Express, 15(3), 1348-1360 (February 2007)
  • Michael F. G. Wood, Xinxin Guo, I. Alex Vitkin, Polarized light propagation in multiply scattering media exhibiting both linear birefringence and optical activity: Monte Carlo model and experimental methodology, Journal of Biomedical Optics, 12(1), 014029 (January/February 2007)
  • Xinxin Guo, Michael F. G. Wood, I. Alex Vitkin, Angular measurements of light scattered by turbid chiral media using linear Stokes polarimeter, Journal of Biomedical Optics 11(4), 041105 (July/August 2006)
  • Cote and Vitkin, Robust concentration determination of optically active molecules in turbid media with validated three-dimensional polarization sensitive Monte Carlo calculations, Optics Express 13(1), 148-163 (January 2005)
  • Cote and Vitkin, Balanced detection for low-noise precision polarimetric measurements of optically active, multiply scattering tissue phantoms, Journal of Biomedical Optics 9(1), 213-220 (January/February 2004)
  • Hadley and Vitkin, Optical rotation and linear and circular depolarization rates in diffusively scattered light from chiral, racemic, and achiral turbid media, Journal of Biomedical Optics 7(3), 291-299 (July 2002)
  • Vitkin et al., Effects of molecular asymmetry of optically active molecules on the polarization properties of multiply scattered light, Optics Express, 10(4), 222-229 (February 2002)
  • Vitkin and Studinski, Polarization preservation in diffusive scattering from in vivo turbid biological media: effect of tissue optical absorption in the exact backscattering direction , Opt. Comm. 190 37-43 (April 2001)
  • Studinski and Vitkin, Methodology for examining polarized light interactions with tissues and tissuelike media in the exact backscattering direction, Journal of Biomedical Optics 5(3), 330-337 (July 2000)
  • Vitkin and Hoskinson, Polarization studies in multiply scattering chiral media, Opt. Eng. 39(2) 353-362 (February 2000)


    • Optical Coherence Tomography
  • Hafeez Ullah et al., Can Temporal Analysis of Optical Coherence Tomography Statistics Report on Dextrorotatory-Glucose Levels in Blood?, Laser Physics, 21, 1962-1971 (2011)
  • Mariampillai et al., Optimized speckle variance OCT imaging of microvasculature, Optics Letters 35 (8), 1257-59 (April 2010)
  • Munce et al., Doppler optical coherence tomography for interventional cardiovascular guidance: in vivo feasibility and forward-viewing probe flow phantom demonstration, Journal of Biomedical Optics, 15 (1), 011103 (January/February 2010)
  • Standish et al., In vivo endoscopic multi-beam optical coherence tomography, Phys. Med. Biol., 55, 615-622 (2010)
  • Leung et al., High-power wavelength-swept laser in Littman telescope-less polygon filter and dual-amplifier configuration for multichannel optical coherence tomography, Optics Letters, 34(18), 2814-2816, (September 2009)
  • Douplik et al., In Vivo Real Time Monitoring of Vasoconstriction and Vasodilation by a Combined Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy and Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography Approach, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 40, 323-331, (2008)
  • Standish et al., Interstitial Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography as a Local Tumor Necrosis Predictor in Photodynamic Therapy of Prostatic Carcinoma: An In vivo Study, Cancer Res 68(23), 9987-95, (December 2008)
  • Liu et al., High power wavelength linearly swept mode locked fiber laser for OCT imaging, Optics Express 16(18), 14095-105 (September 2008)
  • Mariampillai et al., Speckle variance detection of microvasculature using swept-source optical coherence tomography, Optics Letters 33(13), 1530-32 (July 2008)
  • Munce et al., Electrostatic forward-viewing scanning probe for Doppler optical coherence tomography using a dissipative polymer catheter, Optics Letters 33(7), 657-659 (April 2008)
  • Lam et al., In vivo Optical CoherenceTomography Imaging of Preinvasive Bronchial Lesions, Clin Cancer Res 14(7), 2006-11 (April 2008)
  • Munce et al., Ex Vivo Imaging of Chronic Total Occlusions Using Forward-Looking Optical Coherence Tomography, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 39, 28-35, (2007)
  • Standish et al., Interstitial Doppler optical coherence tomography monitors microvascular changes during photodynamic therapy in a Dunning prostate model under varying treatment conditions, Journal of Biomedical Optics 12(3), 034022, (May/June 2007)
  • Mariampillai et al., Doppler optical cardiogram gated 2D color flow imaging at 1000 fps and 4D in vivo visualization of embryonic heart at 45 fps on a swept source OCT system, Optics Express 15(4), 1627-38 (February 2007)
  • Morofke et al., Wide dynamic range detection of bidirectional flow in Doppler optical coherence tomography using a two-dimensional Kasai estimator, Optics Letters 32(3), 253-255 (February 2007)
  • Standish et al., Doppler optical coherence tomography monitoring of microvascular tissue response during photodynamic therapy in an animal model of Barrett's esophagus, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 66(2), 326-333 (2007)
  • Yang et al., Doppler optical coherence tomography with a micro-electro-mechanical membrane mirror for high-speed dynamic focus tracking, Optics Letters 31(9), 1262-1264 (May 2006)
  • Heng Li and Beau A. Standish et al., Feasibility of Interstitial Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography for In Vivo Detection of Microvascular Changes During Photodynamic Therapy, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 38:754-761 (2006)
  • Yang et al., Endoscopic Doppler optical coherence tomography in the human GI tract: initial experience, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 61(7), 879-890 (2005)
  • Yang et al., Interstitial Doppler optical coherence tomography, Optics Letters 30(14), 1791-1793 (July 2005)
  • Yang et al., Micromachined array tip for multifocus fiber-based optical coherence tomography, Optics Letters 29(15),1754-1756 (August 2004)
  • Qi et al., Dynamic focus control in high-speed optical coherence tomography based on a microelectromechanical mirror, Optics Communications 232, 123-128 (2004)
  • Tang et al., In vivo Doppler optical coherence tomography of mucocutaneous telangiectases in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 58(4),591-598 (2003)
  • Yang et al., High speed, wide velocity dynamic range Doppler optical coherence tomography (Part III): in vivo endoscopic imaging of blood flow in the rat and human gastrointestinal tracts, Optics Express 11(19), 2416-2424 (Sep. 2003)
  • Yang et al., High speed, wide velocity dynamic range Doppler optical coherence tomography (Part II): Imaging in vivo cardiac dynamics of Xenopus laevis, Optics Express 11(14), 1650-1658 (July 2003)
  • Yang et al., High speed, wide velocity dynamic range Doppler optical coherence tomography (Part I): System design, signal processing, and performance, Optics Express 11(7), 794-809 (April 2003)
  • Yang et al., Optical coherence and Doppler tomography for monitoring tissue changes induced by laser thermal therapy - An in vivo feasibility study, Review of scientific instruments 74(1), 437-440 (January 2003)
  • Yang et al., Improved phase-resolved optical Doppler tomography using the Kasai velocity estimator and histogram segmentation, Optics Communications 208, 209-214 (July 2002)
  • Photonics Research Ontario (PRO), Press Release (June 2001)
  • Canadian Cancer Society, Press Release (April 2001)


    • Optical Fiber Sensors / Opto-Thermal Therapy
  • Lee C L Chin, Brendan Lloyd, William M Whelan and I Alex Vitkin, Interstitial point radiance spectroscopy of turbid media, Journal of Applied Physics, 105, 102025 (2009)
  • Alexandra Rink et al., Temperature and hydration effects on absorbance spectra and radiation sensitivity of a radiochromic medium, Med. Phys. 35 (10) (October 2008)
  • Alexandra Rink, I. Alex Vitkin, and David A. Jaffray, Intra-irradiation changes in the signal of polymer-based dosimeter (GAFCHROMIC EBT) due to dose rate variations, Phys. Med. Biol. 52, N523-N529 (2007)
  • Lee C L Chin, William M Whelan and I Alex Vitkin, Perturbative diffusion theory formalism for interpreting temporal light intensity changes during laser interstitial thermal therapy, Phys. Med. Biol., 52:1659-1674 (2007)
  • Alexandra Rink, I. Alex Vitkin, and David A. Jaffray, Energy dependence (75 kVp to 18 MV) of radiochromic films assessed using a real-time optical dosimeter, Med. Phys. 34 (2) (February 2007)
  • Chin et al., Information content of point radiance measurements in turbid media: implications for interstitial optical property quantification, Applied Optics 45(9), 2101-2114 (March 2006)
  • Alexandra Rink, I. Alex Vitkin, and David A. Jaffray, Characterization and real-time optical measurements of the ionizing radiation dose response for a new radiochromic medium, Med. Phys. 32 (8) (August 2005)
  • Alexandra Rink, I. Alex Vitkin, and David A. Jaffray, Suitability of radiochromic medium for real-time optical measurements of ionizing radiation dose, Med. Phys. 32 (4) (April 2005)
  • Chin et al., Radiance-based monitoring of the extent of tissue coagulation during laser interstitial thermal therapy, Optics Letters 29(9), 959-961 (May 2004)
  • Chin et al., Optical method using fluence or radiance measurements to monitor thermal therapy, Review of Scientific Instruments 74(1), 393-395 (Jan. 2003)
  • Chin et al., Models and measurements of light intensity changes during laser interstitial thermal therapy: implications for optical monitoring of the coagulation boundary location, Phys. Med. Biol. 48, 543-559 (2003)
  • Chin et al., Changes in relative light fluence measured during laser heating: implications for optical monitoring and modelling of interstitial laser photocoagulation, Phys. Med. Biol. 46, 2407-2420 (2001)
  • Whelan et al., Laser thermal therapy: utility of interstitial fluence monitoring for locating optical sensors, Phys. Med. Biol. 46, N91-N96 (2001)
  • Iizuka et al., The effects of dynamic optical properties during interstitial laser photocoagulation, Phys. Med. Biol. 45, 1335-1357 (2000)


    • Editorials / Review Articles / Book Chapters
  • Muhammad Attique, Ghulam Gilanie, Hafeez-Ullah, Malik S. Mehmood, Muhammad S. Naweed, Masroor Ikram, Javed A. Kamran, and Alex Vitkin, Colorization and Automated Segmentation of Human T2 MR Brain Images for Characterization of Soft Tissues, PLoS ONE, 7(3), (2012)
  • Masroor Ikram2, Javed A. Kamran3, Alex Vitkin4,5
  • Wood MFG, Ghosh N, Guo X, Vitkin IA, Towards non-invasive glucose monitoring in biomedicine using a polarized light approach, in Optical Glucose Sensing, Physiology, and Clearing, Tuchin VV, editor (CRC Press, Baton Rouge, USA), chapter 17, 2008
  • Ghosh N, Wood MFG, Vitkin IA, Polarized light assessment of complex turbid media such as biological tissues via Mueller matrix decomposition, in Handbook of Photonics for Biomedical Science, Tuchin VV, editor (Taylor and Francis, London, USA), chapter 9, 2010
  • Brian C. Wilson, I. Alex Vitkin and Dennis L. Matthews, The potential of biophotonic techniques in stem cell tracking and monitoring of tissue regeneration applied to cardiac stem cell therapy, J. of Biophotonics 2 (11), 669-681 (2009)
  • V.X.D. Yang and I.A. Vitkin, Principles of Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography, in Handbook of Optical Coherence Tomography in Cardiology, edited by Evelyn Regar, Ton van Leeuwen and Patrick Serruys (Taylor and Francis Medical, Oxford, UK: 2006), chapter 32
  • Courtney et al., Innovations in imaging for chronic total occlusions: a glimpse into the future of angiography's blind-spot, European Heart Journal 29, 583-593 (2008)
  • Vitkin, Biomedical Applications of Light (Guest Editorial) Optics and Photonics News 12(7), p.5 (July 2001)
  • Vitkin, Biomedical Applications of Light (Guest Editorial) OPN Trends (Supplement to Optics and Photonics News 12(5)) (July 2001)


    • Fun / General Interest
  • I.A. Vitkin, Shedding Some Light on the Blue Vein Enigma, Optics and Photonics News (June 1997)
  • I.A. Vitkin, Polarized Light and the Asymmetry of Life, Optics and Photonics News (July 1996)