Photon Factory laser-tech spinoff in award spotlight

Dr. Michél Nieuwoudt is a finalist in research commercialisation awards for a laser-tech tool to detect skin cancer developed by Luminoma, a spin-off from the University of Auckland’s Photon Factory.

Nieuwoudt is in the running for the “researcher entrepreneur” award at The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) awards to be announced on 22 October. 

Luminoma, the Photon Factory’s third spin-off company, has created a handheld tool based around spectroscopy technology which uses light to disclose a material’s properties – in this case whether a skin lesion is likely to be malignant or benign.

At the University’s Faculty of Science, Associate Dean (Research) Geoff Wilmott, said the University was “immensely proud” and Luminoma was a classic example of a Deep Tech company that could improve wellbeing and contribute to New Zealand’s prosperity.

Nieuwoudt spearheaded the research with the support of Professor Cather Simpson and she is chief science officer of Luminoma, which has raised over $5 million, including from Bridgewest Ventures, Pacific Channel, and the government.

The device has the potential to slash New Zealand’s world-leading death rates from the disease and revolutionise the prevention and treatment of skin cancer worldwide.

For science fiction fans, it calls to mind Bones McCoy in Star Trek scanning patients with a handheld computer to instantly diagnose members of the USS Enterprise.

Using Raman spectroscopy, the tool will non-invasively analyse the biochemical "fingerprint" within a lesion for changes that are indicative of cancer.

“Luminoma continues a strong history of commercialization in the field of photonics at the University, stretching back to Southern Photonics and its offshoot Quantifi (acquired for a large sum earlier in the year) and including the likes of Engender, Orbis, and most recently Probentis,” said Wilmott.

Alongside Luminoma’s investors, the project has been supported by two national Centres of Research Excellence – the Dodd-Walls Centre and the MacDiarmid Institute, longstanding leaders of Deep Tech commercialization in New Zealand.

Nieuwoudt is a senior research fellow in the School of Chemical Sciences and the Photon Factory. KiwiNet is a consortium working to aid commercial outcomes from publicly funded research.