[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 143 (Sunday, October 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2079-E2081]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MEDICAL OPTICAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRAD SHERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Saturday, October 10, 1998

  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to a new 
technology called the

[[Page E2080]]

medical optical signal processor. Today, in the world of ever-advancing 
medical technology, key words like telemedicine, laser surgery, and 
computer second opinion are used to address the new frontiers that are 
being discovered through the leveraging and exploitation of existing 
technologies. But, now is the time for these new frontiers in medicine 
to be even further challenged. It is time that we expand our horizons 
and to stock our arsenals with new and innovative technologies. It is 
ironic that one of the most potent and promising weapons in our 
technological arsenal may be as elementary or as fundamental as simple 
light. The use of light to process data is not new or particularly 
difficult. In fact, the use of light is not very different from the way 
the human eye and brain work in processing visual data. This new 
technology is called the medical optical signal processor (MOSP).
  The domestic medical landscape is pursuing unprecedented change to 
combat the spiraling costs of health care. Cost containment and 
resources consolidation are forcing commercial and military healthcare 
providers to turn to sources outside the traditional medical community 
to improve the quality of care. The concept of transitioning optical 
signal processing (OSP) technology to enhance present and future 
medical imaging systems detecting and identifying key pathologic 
features within two-dimensional medical imagery may prove not only cost 
effective but may validate the leveraging of dual use technologies 
between the military and commercial sectors. MOSP has not only great 
promise in civilian and military medical applications has shown great 
promise and it leverages upon the advances already being made in its 
use for automatic target recognition (ATR) in both civilian and 
military applications.
  Many of my colleagues on the House Science Committee, as well as 
those on the traditional defense oversight committees, are dedicated to 
finding and funding the best technologies that will allow the U.S. to 
make quantum leaps ahead in improving our security and our way of life. 
In an era when the American people expect their elected officials to be 
prudent and careful stewards of their federal budget dollars, it is 
important that we carefully choose those areas of research that will 
bring a greater return on our investment. I believe medical optical 
signal processing may be a technology that does just that.
  MOSP is best utilized in developing an advanced imaging system for 
the management of breast and prostate cancer. MOSP has a compelling and 
potential benefit in all areas of radiology in enhancing and analyzing 
imagery. It enjoys an advantage as a two-dimensional processor with the 
power of multiple Cray computer imagery processing in a small package. 
It can leverage the sensitivity of X-rays and specificity of high 
definition ultrasound in a multi-sensor correlation. It exploits recent 
OSP technology to create self-adapting imaging systems, which places 
minimal demands on operator skills while improving soft tissue 
contrast. All this facilitates a broad spectrum of diagnostic and 
therapeutic options. But most importantly, if reduces the trauma to the 
patient.
  Congress has been a major supporter of the OSP industry, and lately 
has recognized the need for optical processing to resolve next-
generation pattern recognition in military applications. Congressional 
assistance is needed in supporting further military and commercial 
application opportunities for optical correlators. In the FY97 National 
Defense Authorization Act the House National Security Committee wrote:

       The committee is aware of the potential of optical 
     correlators for signal processing and anomaly detection in 
     military systems. The committee believes optical correlators 
     also have similar potential in medical research such as for 
     the detection of tumors.

     ***P***The Secretary of the Army's ``Report to the House 
     Committee on National Security on the Potential Use of 
     Optical Correlators in Medical Research,'' addressed the use 
     of optical correlators for signal processing and anomaly 
     detection in military systems. It points out one of the early 

       advantages of OSP technology as:* * * a key component is 
     the high speed correlator which does the actual comparison 
     and reports out numerical scores on the degree of similarity 
     between objects in the image and targets of interest, be they 
     enemy tanks or cancerous cells.

     ***P***The report focuses on the military application of OSP 
     technology in the need to significantly speed up the 
     computation process of features found in imagery. It does not 
     address the many other changes in this technology over the 
     last three years. But, the report does specifically address 

       cancer in one statement:* * * In cancer screening 
     applications, this means a higher probability of detecting a 
     cancerous mass while simultaneously reducing the probability 
     of falsely reporting benign tissue as cancerous.

     ***P***In 1997, the Congress continued to address the use of 
     optical correlators in missile technology, both for the navy 
     and Air Force. For the first time, funding was added to the 
     Standard Missile program of the US Navy, and for a 
     continuation of a US Air Force Air-to-Ground missile (AGM) 
     effort called, optical processor enhanced LADAR (OPEL). But 
     unfortunately due to defense budget constraints, additional 
     funds were not found and the medical application was not 
     appropriated.***P***In 1998 the House further attempted to 
     deal with the potential medical application of OSP, by 
     providing authorization to the US Army. The House National 

       Security Committee wrote that:* * * The committee also 
     recommends an increase of $2.0 million in PE 62787A for 
     applied research in the use of low cost optical correlator 
     technology in medical diagnosis . . .

     ***P***It was hoped that this seed money would provide the 
     spark to improve the quality of care of the men and women 
     protecting out country and open new medical imagery analysis 
     technology in medical areas outside of radiology such as 
     ophthalmology, dermatology, trauma or triage treatments, and 
     many others. Unfortunately, due to the constraints in this 
     year defense budget, the Congress was unable to support 
     adding funds to this year's appropriations for the Army to 
     proceed with this program. To this member, this was extremely 
     shortsighted.***P***In 1993 the NCI reported that one-in-
     eight women would contract breast cancer at some point in her 
     lifetime. One in four men may face the same fate at the hands 
     of prostate cancer.***P***When an abnormal breast or prostate 
     mass is detected by mammography or by a physician's clinical 
     examination, a biopsy is almost always recommended. A 
     pathologist examines the tissue to determine if the lump is 
     cancerous. The psychological trauma this creates in anyone is 
     beyond measure and is normally endured over many weeks of 
     tests and waiting. Healthcare should be effective and as 
     timely as possible to prevent any emotional and traumatic 
     episodes to one's life. Optical processing is the technology 
     that can drive the current process from weeks to one day: 
     examine--biopsy--results. Improving the quality of care to 
     the patient and their families. As we fight cancer, we can 
     also reduce the trauma it brings.***P***Photonics Spectra, a 
     leading publication for the Optical industry, quoted the 
     report of the Committee on Optical Science and Engineering, a 

       group created by the national Research Council, as saying:* 
     * * that light-based technologies have a vast and growing 
     range of critical applications in virtually every scientific 
     discipline and a large number of industrial fields * * * In 
     healthcare, it urges that the National Institute of Standards 
     modify its disease oriented structure to provide more funding 
     for optical technologies.

  Optical signal processing technology that is properly adapted for 
embedded use in medical ultrasound imaging systems, will create a 
paradigm shift within the radiology industry leading to a new 
generation of higher performance systems with outstanding soft tissue 
visualization capabilities. It will also leverage the correlation and 
benefits of multiple radiological systems. In as much as all of us, as 
Members of Congress, the stewards of our nation's health and well 
being. It is essential that we remain: informed of the advances in 
science and technology, vigilant to providing the leadership and 
insight needed to move forward when an opportunity avails itself, and 
the wisdom to seize and leverage that opportunity. Through leveraging 
the investment and advances already made in optical processing 
technology, we can continue to exploit this technology not only for its 
military and commercial target recognition applications but for its 
potential to bring better quality of care to civilian and military 
medical systems. We owe it to our nation to move forward with this good 
ideal. We owe to the nation to move forward with this good technology. 
I hope all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me next 
year in supporting this type of research and technology throughout the 
entire federal science and technology budget because the advances and 
victories of science and technology are non partisan. They are 
victories in which all Americans will share. While the revages of 
cancer and other diseases will not pick sides or discriminate, it will 
strike us all regardless of our political beliefs or our stature in 
life. We owe nothing less to our friends and colleagues in the Congress 
who have suffered the anguish of breast and prostate cancer for 
themselves and for their loved ones, but more importantly, we owe it to 
the millions of our

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constituents, who hope everyday that we, as their stewards of the 
budget, will make the right decisions for them that allows this nation 
to remain healthy and safe.

                          ____________________