Dr. Samuel Achilefu, a Nigerian-American scientist, developed cancer-visualization goggles that use near-infrared fluorescence to help surgeons distinguish malignant tissue from healthy tissue during surgery with exceptional precision.

Born in Nigeria and now a global innovator, Dr. Achilefu’s groundbreaking work in molecular imaging has transformed cancer surgery, earning widespread recognition for advancing patient care.

Early Life and Education

Dr. Samuel Achilefu was born in 1963 in northern Nigeria, but the family later moved to the southeast of Nigeria when he was five years old for safety reasons during the Nigerian Civil War (Biafran War). He completed his primary and secondary education in the Southeast during the war era.

Dr. Achilefu later proceeded to France on a French Government Scholarship to further his education. He received his PhD from the University of Nancy and his postdoctoral studies at Oxford University in England.

Career and Achievements

Dr. Samuel Achilefu career started in 1993 when he was hired to work at Mallinckrodt Medical in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2001, he later joined the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University, where he founded the Optical Radiology Program. The initiative, which now has over 80 researchers, focuses on medical imaging, specifically cancer diagnosis and therapy.

His most notable invention, the cancer visualization goggles, has really impacted cancer surgery. The goggles, which use fluorescent technology, enable doctors to see cancer cells shining, allowing for more accurate tumor removal during surgery. This breakthrough has elevated him to a position of influence in the medical world, earning him countless awards.

Family Life

Dr. Achilefu is happily married for 21 years to Nnnena, and together, they have two children: Chisara, a 19-year-old daughter who studies at Washington University, and Kelechi, their 16-year-old son.

Honours and awards

Dr. Samuel Achilefu has received numerous honours and awards throughout his career. Some of his notable awards include the Technical Innovation Award from Mallinckrodt Medical, Inc. in 1995, and a Fellow of the SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics) in 2008. He has also been recognized with the Achiever Award from the St. Louis Science Center in 2008, and the St. Louis Innovator Award in 2011.

Achilefu is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Biomedical Optics and the Scientific Reports, alongside being a member of prestigious advisory boards like the National Cancer Institute’s Intramural Molecular Imaging Program.

Also, Dr. Achilefu has been honoured with several distinguished fellowships, including the Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2016 and the Fellow of the Optical Society of America in 2017, the St. Louis American Excellence in Healthcare Award in 2017, and he was also named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2018.

His recognition continued in 2019 with the Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award and his election as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

Dr. Achilefu’s remarkable achievements in the medical field underscore his ongoing impact on the advancement of healthcare technology. (Sunday Vanguard)