• 1/26/2004
  • Las Vegas
  • Valerie Miller
  • LasVegasPress.com

A merger between two conglomerates could mean big rewards for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Science & Engineering Technology (SEA), which is headquartered in New Orleans and works with UNLV, is being acquired by Washington, D.C.-based technology firm ITS Services. The $200 million deal announced last week may help propel groundbreaking research now being conducted between SEA and UNLV.

That work includes attempts to develop a new, quicker method for early detection and treatment of oral cancer. The SEA method — which is scheduled to be tested with the help of the soon-to-open UNLV Dental School — would involve the use of both multi-spectral imaging using light reflection and high-speed wireless data transmission. Ron Ryan, the vice president of SEA in Las Vegas says that use of multi-spectral imaging technology to diagnose oral cancer is already being tested by SEA with the U.S. Army. The military is interested in quicker methods for detecting cervical cancer in service women. The idea to study the application of the technology to detecting oral cancer actually was suggested by UNLV Provost Ray Alden a few years ago in a meeting, according to Ryan. That suggestion could really help UNLV and its dental school gain prominence as research facilities, SEA officials contend.

“We will help elevate them and help them reach their goal of being research and technology intensive,” Ryan says. ITS is all for the research, adds Ryan. “It was something we kind of [SEA] brought to the party and ITS liked. The merger with them strengthens our IT ability.”

Bobby Savoie, CEO of SEA, says that his company has about 20 jobs in Las Vegas. “We have no intention of cutting jobs in Las Vegas. We are looking to add jobs.” Prior to the merger, ITS had a little more than 400 employees, while SEA had about 500, according to ITS CEO Todd Stottlemyer. He says between the two companies there are about 100 job openings.

When it comes to research, SEA’s Savoie agrees that the partnering of SEA and UNLV is a win-win situation. “We feel it will be very positive in the creation of a technology center in Las Vegas,” he says of the cancer research project. The SEA chief also believes his company’s procedure for detecting cervical cancer can be adapted for use in oral cancer detection. “The fingerprint of cervical cancer is similar to the footprint of oral cancer,” Savoie explains. “We have a laser probe that identifies the cancer cells versus the healthy cells. What we are working on now is a grant to treat the cancer cells.” The cells must be hit with the right type of laser light, he adds, and thus the cells can be eliminated without the need for invasive surgical cutting. “If we could do this, the UNLV dental school would become world famous for this.” Basically, the spectrum of light shined on to soft tissue will reflect back differently is the cells are cancerous or potentially cancerous, Ryan says. Dentists could be trained in how to use this technology for early detection of oral cancer. “They are often the first ones in [a person’s mouth],” he notes. Ryan explains that SEA is putting together a federal grant proposal to seek research funding for the project from the U.S. Army for about a million dollars. That branch of the military could use the technology for screening and treatment of its service personnel deployed in remote locations, such as on the battlefield, he adds. The innovations UNLV is partnering with SEA to perfect could also be applied right here in Nevada, as well, in rural areas, Ryan says.

The wireless transmission of high-quality and data-rich images increases the value of the technology for use in rural areas, according to SEA. It is in such areas where good health care can often be difficult to come by, but the multi-spectral imaging device is planned to be portable. The image will be on a high-resolution, digital record and can be easily transmitted to a doctor anywhere to make a diagnosis, according to Ryan.