James Fujimoto
James Fujimoto, David Huang and Eric Swanson invented optical coherence tomography (OCT), a method for imaging subsurface structure in biological tissues and materials in real time at near microscopic resolution. OCT has transformed the practice of ophthalmology, enabling earlier detection of disease as well as guiding therapy. It also is used in cardiology and a growing range of medical specialties as well as in fundamental research.
OCT functions much like ultrasound imaging, except that it uses echoes of light instead of sound. The technological challenge is that light travels a million times faster than sound. However, using light enables high-resolution, non-contact imaging as well as imaging inside the body using catheters, endoscopes and laparoscopes. OCT can perform “optical biopsy,” detecting pathology in situ and in real time, without the need to remove and process tissue.
Fujimoto was born in Chicago in 1957. His parents grew up on farms in California and strongly encouraged their son to pursue a college education – an opportunity that had not been available to them.
Fujimoto’s father had a small electrical contracting business and often took his young son to work with him on weekends and during summers. “I had the opportunity to learn electrical work and how small business operates, but also to see many different ways people lived,” Fujimoto recalled in an interview with the National Inventors Hall of Fame®. “Some people were struggling, others were very talented, but did not have the opportunity to realize their potential. This experience had a powerful effect on my future.”
During elementary and high school, Fujimoto explored a variety of interests, from working with electronics to studying classical organ music. He went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by chance, based on the recommendation of a family friend who was one of the few people in his parent’s generation that had a university education.
Fujimoto studied electrical engineering and computer science, earning his bachelor’s (1979), master’s (1981) and doctorate (1984) at MIT. In 1985, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT.
When discussing his career path, Fujimoto emphasizes the impact of studying with Erich Ippen, a pioneer in the field known as ultrafast science. Femtosecond lasers could generate extremely short pulses of light for studying high-speed atomic and electronic processes. Fujimoto wondered if echoes of light could be used to see structures inside the body. This question led to the development of OCT.
Fujimoto began research in biomedical applications of femtosecond lasers though a collaboration with Carmen Puliafito, a retinal specialist, and Joel Schuman, a glaucoma specialist, at Harvard Medical School. Huang, then a Harvard-MIT M.D.-Ph.D. student, was pursuing his doctoral research in Fujimoto’s lab and Swanson was an expert in optical communications at MIT Lincoln Laboratories. Fujimoto, Huang and Swanson began OCT research at MIT in 1990. Their publication on OCT in the journal Science in 1991 has been cited more than 15,000 times. Puliafito and Schuman led clinical studies with more than 5,000 patients at the New England Eye Center, demonstrating OCT in diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. In 1992, Fujimoto, Swanson and Puliafito co-founded Advanced Ophthalmic Devices, which was acquired by Zeiss in 1994 and introduced the first commercial OCT instrument for ophthalmology.
OCT has transformed the practice of ophthalmology, improving the detection and treatment of sight-impairing diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, which affects one in eight Americans over the age of 60. OCT also facilitated the development of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy, which blocks the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eye. The use of OCT to guide treatment has saved billions of dollars in healthcare costs.
OCT has many applications beyond ophthalmology. Cardiologist Mark Brezinski from Harvard Medical School joined the research team and led the development of intravascular OCT, performing the first studies on vulnerable plaque. In 1998, Swanson, Fujimoto and Brezinski founded the startup LightLab Imaging, which commercialized intravascular OCT. Hundreds of research groups and companies around the world are developing OCT for medical applications, manufacturing and fundamental research.
In recognition of his work with OCT, Fujimoto has received several awards including the 2022 IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology and the 2024 Honda Prize. Fujimoto, Huang and Swanson were co-recipients of the 2017 Russ Prize, the 2022 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and the 2023 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. Fujimoto continues to serve as a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. “Working in academics, it’s been very rewarding to collaborate with highly motivated people who are committed to making advances in medicine, healthcare and quality of life,” he said.
Reflecting on his career journey, Fujimoto emphasized that while an invention may begin with inspiration, it requires much more than an “aha moment.” Sustained effort over several years is necessary to achieve success. “There's a public perception that innovation is fast, but that's not true,” Fujimoto said. “Multiple incremental advances can be transformative, if they are chosen carefully and executed rapidly enough. Scientific and engineering research is a very rewarding career – it's an opportunity to do things that are both interesting and contribute to society. At the same time, it requires hard work and commitment.”