Michael Daly

Michael Daly is a Staff Scientist in the TECHNA Institute at the University Health Network (UHN). Since 2005, he has been a member of UHN’s Guided Therapeutics (GTx) program, working with Dr. Jonathan Irish on translational studies in image-guided surgery. He completed his Ph.D. in 2018 from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, under the supervision of Dr. David Jaffray. He was the recipient of a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Doctoral Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

His research involves the development of 3D optical imaging systems for cancer surgery. The goal is to provide surgeons with tumour maps based on molecular markers. One challenge in forming 3D images from a sequence of 2D images is that it is computationally expensive and prone to inaccuracy. The revolutionary advances in deep learning offer a new set of tools to apply to this problem. Currently, our team is investigating the application of deep learning to a novel fluorescence imaging system for oral cancer surgery. Critical to the success of this project will be the close collaboration between AI experts, optical engineers, and surgeons.