New Research Publication: Spectroscopy Works Across Oral Cavity Sites

The OTO‑COATI Lab is pleased to announce a new paper in the American Journal of Otolaryngology: “A prospective cohort study testing whether oral cavity mucosal tissue variability influences elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) measures,” made available online April 14, 2026.

Authors include Mitali Sakharkar (BU medical student, OTO‑COATI Lab), Gabriele Spokas (UNC graduate student, OTO‑COATI Lab), Parth Jalihal (BU medical student), Lucas Berry (OTO‑COATI Lab research specialist), Eladio Rodriguez‑Diaz, PhD (BU), Irving Bigio, PhD (BU), Gregory Grillone, MD (BMC Otolaryngology chief and OTO‑COATI Lab faculty), and Gintas Krisciunas, PhD (OTO‑COATI Lab Director). Special thanks to Devin Lucas (OTO-COATI Lab research coordinator) for contributing an illustration of the oral cavity.

This work was conducted in collaboration with Boston University’s Biomedical Optics (BMO) Lab, a longtime partner in our spectroscopy studies for head and neck cancer detection.

WHY THIS MATTERS

A key aim of our lab is to develop elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) to guide surgeons in detecting oral cancers during surgery. Prior work showed ESS is promising for margin guidance, but we lacked clarity on whether normal anatomical differences across the oral cavity would affect ESS readings. In this prospective cohort study, the authors show that ESS measures are largely unaffected by locoregional variations in normal mucosal tissue. Put simply: ESS appears to perform consistently across different oral sites (tongue, inside of the cheek, gums, etc.), supporting its broader clinical utility for oral cancer detection.

For more information, read the full paper here. You can also read about our other studies on spectroscopy here.

Congratulations to the authors and collaborators for this important step toward translating ESS into a reliable surgical and diagnostic tool.