Reinventing Breast Cancer Detection: The Transformative Work of Wei Zhao

Wei Zhao has spent more than two decades at Stony Brook University advancing technologies that stand to reshape how breast cancer is detected and diagnosed. A professor of radiology and vice chair for research, she has built her career at the intersection of engineering, medical physics and clinical radiology. She is driven by a simple but ambitious idea: technology should meaningfully improve patient care. Her work has done precisely that, yielding multiple inventions, major industry collaborations and one of the country's most respected research programs in breast imaging.

A Research Environment Built for Innovation

That progress is inseparable from the environment in which it has unfolded. Zhao describes Stony Brook as uniquely structured for innovation, with engineering, basic science, clinical research and hospital operations closely connected.

"There are so many physicists and engineers working in this campus environment that we could bounce ideas off of each other," she said. Access to advanced instrumentation at Brookhaven National Laboratory, support from programs such as SensorCAT and REACH, and collaborative clinical leadership have all been essential.

Just as important is the willingness of the hospital and radiology teams to make space and devote personnel effort for translational work. "It needs the vision of the leaders to see the importance of that so they could designate clinical resources to translational research," she noted. This integrated model has allowed her group to bring new imaging technologies from concept to clinical testing far more efficiently than would otherwise be possible.

Advancing Early Detection Through Invention

Zhao arrived at Stony Brook in 1999 after completing graduate training in medical physics in Canada. Her early work centered on a central challenge of that era: moving clinical imaging from analog film to digital systems. Digital imaging was more than a technical upgrade. It opened the door to safer, lower-dose exams, improved image quality, and new computational tools that could assist clinicians. Zhao's first major invention, a flat-panel detector designed for digital radiography, contributed directly to this shift. "I was always interested in developing technologies that can be applied for biomedical applications. Not only technical advance, but also improving human health," she said.

In breast cancer imaging, that focus has translated into technologies that help clinicians detect cancer earlier and with greater accuracy, particularly for patients who are harder to image with standard methods. Mammography remains the dominant screening tool, and its success rests on identifying minute early signs of disease.

Zhao's inventions have consistently targeted that need. Her work on high-resolution detectors improved the ability to identify microcalcifications associated with carcinoma in situ. More recently, she has addressed one of the field's most persistent limitations: detecting cancer in women with dense breast tissue. "Cancer is usually hiding behind dense tissue," she explained. Her team is developing systems that provide clearer visualization in these cases, including approaches that incorporate contrast agents to reveal subtle signals that might otherwise be missed.

One of her group's newest innovations illustrates how far this effort has progressed. Zhao and her collaborators have invented a multi-layer detector system designed to capture multiple streams of imaging information at once. Traditional mammography uses a single detector, and even tomosynthesis systems that image from various angles often struggle to distinguish tissue types or accurately localize contrast uptake.

Zhao's design stacks two detectors to capture complementary data in a single acquisition, eliminating motion artifacts and increasing diagnostic precision. "We are able to use what is existing out there, but in a different way, to be able to make it through to patient imaging very rapidly," she said.

From Campus to Clinic

This focus on real-world impact has shaped every stage of her design process. Clinical collaborators help identify pressing needs; Zhao's group prototypes solutions; and industry partners translate them into systems that can be deployed in care settings. Partnerships with Siemens and Analogic, for example, have enabled her team to build and test new prototypes using commercial platforms, accelerating the path to patient studies.

"Industry collaboration is really key because that allows us to make better prototypes and then move to clinical use in a more rapid pace," she said.

These achievements were recognized in 2023 when Zhao was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. The honor, she said, reflects not only her own work but the collective effort behind each invention. "It recognizes my co-inventors and collaborators, and it increases the visibility of our work," she said.

She now serves on the executive committee of the Stony Brook NAI chapterand views mentorship as a critical part of her role, encouraging young researchers to consider invention early in their training. "Before you publish, ask yourself whether there is an invention. Make sure you disclose it before you publish," she said.

Across her career, Zhao has demonstrated how engineering insight, clinical partnership, and an innovation-driven campus can generate technologies that matter to patients. Whether the challenge is achieving higher-resolution images at lower radiation dose, improving cancer detection for women with dense breasts or bringing artificial intelligence into imaging workflows, she continues to pursue solutions with the potential to change breast cancer care worldwide.