Bryan Spring

Bryan Spring is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Northeastern University's College of Science, where he leads the Spring Research Group focused on bridging biophysics, biomedical optics, and cancer biology. His work targets micrometastases left behind by standard cancer therapies through optical spectroscopic imaging and photophysics to visualize and eliminate residual tumors that lead to recurrence.

Spring's research interests center on developing precision photomedicine approaches that address tumor heterogeneity, drug resistance, and molecular mechanisms of treatment escape. His group has pioneered tumor-targeted, activatable photoimmunotherapy (taPIT) that uses near-infrared light activation of molecular-targeted chromophores to selectively damage drug-resistant cancer cells while minimizing side effects. This approach enables microscopic-resolution 'optical biopsy' for identifying drug-resistant cancer cell deposits without invasive surgeries.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward developing multicolor in vivo microendoscopy tools (hyperspectral, lifetime-resolved, and FRET imaging), real-time image analysis software, and molecular-targeted probes. The work spans from fundamental optical engineering to translational cancer research, with a particular focus on ovarian cancer treatment and overcoming drug resistance through photomedicine approaches.

Scientific awards include the prestigious Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research (2017) and being selected as a Scialog Fellow for Advancing BioImaging (2021). His students have consistently won awards at major conferences, including multiple Poster of Excellence awards at the International Photodynamic Association World Congress.

Professor Spring has secured significant research funding including an NIH-NCI R01 award ($3.2M), a Physical Sciences Oncology Network grant (~$2.7M), and an NCI R21 concept grant (~$0.5M). He maintains active collaborations with leading institutions including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Moffitt Cancer Center, Duke University, and Cornell University, as well as industry partners like Cellaria Bio.

The Spring Research Group operates state-of-the-art facilities for developing precision photomedicine technologies, including custom femtosecond fiber lasers, GPU-accelerated hyperspectral image processing systems, and low-cost LED arrays for light-activated therapy. The lab's interdisciplinary team combines expertise in physics, optics, cancer biology, and computational imaging to advance next-generation cancer treatment approaches.