Urs Utzinger

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Associate Professor, BIO5 Institute
Associate Professor of Optical Sciences
Associate Department Head for Assessment and Accreditation
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Urs Utzinger

Bioscience Research Labs 166

520.975.0522
utzinger@arizona.edu

Urs Utzinger received an engineering degree (Dipl. Ing. ETH, 1989, mechanical engineering) and a PhD (Dr. sc. techn. ETH, 1995, biomedical engineering) from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich Switzerland. As post-doctoral fellow he joined the laboratory of Rebecca Richards-Kortum (Optical Spectroscopy Laboratory) at The University of Texas, Austin. In 2001, he joined the faculty at the University of Arizona where he is an associate professor in biomedical engineering. He also holds appointments in obstetrics and gynecology, optical sciences, electrical and computer engineering and the BIO5 Institute.

From 2012 until end of 2014, Utzinger served as interim department head in biomedical engineering when the program grew from 134 to 200 undergraduate students and the first two classes graduated from the program. He currently serves as associate department head of assessment and accreditation.

Utzinger developed clinical imaging instrumentation to evaluate gynecological and gastrointestinal cancer. Using microscopy techniques he also studied the extra cellular matrix and angiogenesis. Most recently, he developed spectral imaging techniques for the skin.

In 2016 Utzinger developed the sophomore design course for BME undergraduate students where they experience hands-on training on electro mechanical systems. In Spring of 2020 he opened the Salter Medical Device Laboratory which he designed. Utzinger created and co-taught the first junior year medical devices design course for the laboratory.

Degrees

  • Dr. sc. techn Biomedical Engineering
    • Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland
    • Selective Coronary Excimer Laser Angioplasy
  • Dipl. Ing. ETH Mechanical Engineering
    • Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland

Work Experience

  • University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2012 - 2014)
  • University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2007 - Ongoing)
  • University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2001 - 2007)
  • University of Texas, Austin, Texas (1998 - 2001)
  • University of Texas, Austin, Texas (1995 - 1998)
  • ETH (1995 - 1995)

Interests

Teaching

Instrumentation, Biomedical Optics, Signal and Data Analysis, Mechatronics & Robotics, Device Design

Research

Microscopy, Optical Spectroscopy, Signal and Data Analysis, Optical Imaging

Courses

View the full course list in UA Profiles.

Selected Publications

Journals/Publications

  • Larson, M., Gmitro, A. F., Utzinger, U., Rouse, A. R., Woodhead, G. J., Carlson, Q., Hennemeyer, C. T., & Barton, J. K. (2021). Using FDA-approved drugs as off-label fluorescent dyes for optical biopsies: from in silico design to ex vivo proof-of-concept. Methods and Applications in Fluorescence.
  • Bal, U., Utzinger, U., Bal, A., & Moral, O. T. (2020). The Determination of Absorption and Reduced Scattering Coefficients of Optical Phantoms Using a Frequency-Domain Multi-Distance Method in a Non-contact Manner. ADVANCES IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING, 20(2), 3-10.
  • Gutruf, P., Utzinger, U., & Subbian, V. (2020). Moving from Pedagogy to Andragogy in Biomedical Engineering Design: Strategies for Lab-at-Home and Distance Learning. Biomedical Engineering Education.
  • Behkam, R., Kollech, H. G., Jana, A., Hill, A., Danford, F., Howerton, S., Ram, S., Rodríguez, J. J., Utzinger, U., & Girkin, C. A. (2019). Racioethnic Differences in the Biomechanical Response of the Lamina Cribrosa. Acta biomaterialia.
  • Geest, J., Kollech, H. G., Behkam, R., Jana, A., Utzinger, U., & Girkin, C. A. (2019). Biomechanical Response of the Lamina Cribrosa in Glaucomatous and Non glaucomatous samples. Investigative Ophthalmology \& Visual Science, 60(9), 6189--6189.
  • Black, J. F., & Barton, J. K. (2017). Ultraminiature optical design for multispectral fluorescence imaging endoscopes. Journal of Biomedical Optics, 22(3), 036013-22-10. doi:dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.22.3.036013
  • Keenan, M., Tate, T. H., Kieu, K., Black, J. F., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. K. (2017). Design and characterization of a combined OCT and wide field imaging falloposcope for ovarian cancer detection. Biomedical Optics Express, 8(1), 124--136.
  • Pacheco, S., Wang, C., Chawla, M. K., Nguyen, M., Baggett, B. K., Utzinger, U., Barnes, C. A., & Liang, R. (2017). High resolution, high speed, long working distance, large field of view confocal fluorescence microscope. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 13349.
  • Dean, Z. S., Elias, P., Jamilpour, N., Utzinger, U., & Wong, P. K. (2016). Probing 3D Collective Cancer Invasion Using Double-Stranded Locked Nucleic Acid Biosensors. Analytical Chemistry, 88(17), 8902--8907.
  • Haskett, D. G., Vande Geest, J. P., Maestas, D., McIntyre, J. O., Howerton, S., Mcgrath, D. V., Smith, T., Utzinger, U., Ardilia, C., Doetschman, T. C., Ardilia, C., Doetschman, T. C., Smith, T., Utzinger, U., Howerton, S., McGgrath, D. V., McIntyre, J. O., Maestas, D., Vande Geest, J. P., & Haskett, D. G. (2016). 2-Photon characterization of optical proteolytic beacons for imaging changes in MMP activity in a mouse model of aneurysm. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 22, 349-360. doi:dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1431927616000088
  • Tate, T. H., Baggett, B., Rice, P. F., Koevary, J. W., Orsinger, G. V., Nymeyer, A. C., Welge, W. A., Saboda, K., Roe, D. J., Hatch, K. D., & others, . (2016). Multispectral fluorescence imaging of human ovarian and fallopian tube tissue for early-stage cancer detection. Journal of biomedical optics, 21(5), 056005--056005.
  • Bal, U., Engin, M., & Utzinger, U. (2015). A multiresolution approach for enhancement and denoising of microscopy images. SIGNAL IMAGE AND VIDEO PROCESSING, 9(4), 787-799.
  • Carbary-Ganz, J. L., Welge, W. A., Barton, J. K., & Utzinger, U. (2015). In vivo molecular imaging of colorectal cancer using quantum dots targeted to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 and optical coherence tomography/laser-induced fluorescence dual-modality imaging. Journal of Biomedical Optics, 20, 096015.
  • Utzinger, U., Baggett, B., Weiss, J., Hoying, J., & Edgar, L. (2015). Large-scale time series microscopy of neovessel growth during angiogenesis. Angiogenesis, 1-14.
  • Carbary-Ganz, J. L., Barton, J. K., & Utzinger, U. (2014). Quantum dots targeted to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 as a contrast agent for the detection of colorectal cancer. Journal of biomedical optics, 19(8), 086003.

Proceedings Publications

  • Keenan, M., Tate, T. H., Black, J. F., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. K. (2018, January). Performance of combined OCT/MFI microendoscope for ovarian cancer detection. In SPIE Photonics West; Endoscopic Microscopy XI; and Optical Techniques in Pulmonary Medicine III, 9691, 96910D.
  • Keenan, M., Howard, C., Tate, T., McGuiness, I., Sauer-Budge, A., Black, J., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. K. (2016, March). Design of an everting balloon to deploy a microendoscope to the fallopian tubes. In Proc. SPIE, 9689, 968944-968944-6.
  • Wang, C., Pacheco, S., Baggett, B., Chawla, M., Gray, D., Utzinger, U., Barnes, C., & Liang, R. (2016). Whole brain imaging with a scalable microscope. In Clinical and Translational Biophotonics.
  • Black, J. F., Tate, T., Keenan, M., Swan, E., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. (2015, Spring). A six-color four-laser mobile platform for multi-spectral fluorescence imaging endoscopy. In SPIE BiOS, 93040T--93040T.
  • Swan, E., Tate, T., Keenan, M., Black, J. F., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. (2015, March). Stray light mitigation in a novel endoscope for fallopian tubes. In SPIE BiOS, 93041O--93041O.
  • Tate, T., Baggett, B., Rice, P., Watson, J., Orsinger, G., Nymeyer, A. C., Welge, W. A., Keenan, M., Saboda, K., Roe, D. J., & others, . (2015, Spring). Multispectral fluorescence imaging of human ovarian and Fallopian tube tissue for early stage cancer detection. In SPIE BiOS, 93130L--93130L.
  • Tate, T., Keenan, M., Swan, E., Black, J., Utzinger, U., Barton, J., Figueiro, M., Lerner, S., Muschaweck, J., & Rogers, J. (2014, December). Optical design of an optical coherence tomography and multispectral fluorescence imaging endoscope to detect early stage ovarian cancer. In INTERNATIONAL OPTICAL DESIGN CONFERENCE 2014, 9293.
  • George, R., Krishnamurthy, R., Lovisa, B., Krikpatrick, N. D., & Utzinger, U. (2006, January). Clinical device for early detection of ovarian cancer using optical spectroscopy. In Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE, 6091, xiii.

Poster Presentations

  • Ram, S., Howerton, S. J., Danford, F. L., Utzinger, U., Rodriguez, J. J., & Vande Geest, J. (2016, May 1-5). Racioethnic Differences in Biomechanical Environment of the Lamina Cribrosa. ARVO 2016 Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA: Assn. for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Presentations

  • Keenan, M., Tate, T., Swan, E. J., Black, J. F., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. K. (2015, Spring). Dual-modal optical imaging microendoscope for ovarian cancer detection. BIOS Photonics West. San Francisco.
  • Utzinger, U. (2015, September). Imaging Tissue with UV light. Biomedical Engineering Seminar. Texas A&M University, College Station: engineering.tamu.edu/biomedical.
  • Keenan, M., Tate, T., Swan, E., Black, J., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. (2014, January). Optical Imaging Falloposcope for Minimally Invasive Ovarian Cancer Detection. Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.
  • Keenan, M., Tate, T., Swan, E., Black, J., Utzinger, U., & Barton, J. K. (2014, October). Optical Coherence Tomography and Multispectral Fluorescence Imaging Falloposcope. Frontiers in OpticsOptical Society of America.
  • Utzinger, U. (2014, June). Imaging tissue with UV light, is it worth it?. BC Cancer Research Seminar Series. Vancouver, CA: BC Cancer Agency.