The Path To Creating the World’s Smallest Laser Light Show, and How Researchers Are Using It to Track Cancer Cells: https://mgriblog.org/2025/05/02/worlds-smallest-laser/

The members of the Wellman Center Career Development and Promotions Committee
(Tayyaba Hasan, Brett Bouma, Bobby Redmond, Gary Tearney and Andy Yun) are pleased to
announce the promotion of Arutyun Bagramyan, PhD to the rank of Instructor at Harvard Medical
School effective September 1, 2025.
Dr. Bagramyan completed his PhD study in Physics at Laval University in Canada and joined Dr.
Charles Lin’s Advanced Microscopy Laboratory at the MGH Wellman Center for Photomedicine. In his
short time, he has transformed the research landscape in the laboratory, adding a new translational
focus to a team that has previously focused on basic studies of the hematopoietic system in live mice
using intravital microscopy. Dr. Bagramyan first developed a miniaturized microscope (mOBM) capable
of label-free, phase contrast imaging of individual blood cells in the human microcirculation. Using this
device, he captured stunning videos of leukocyte rolling and adherence on the vascular endothelium -
the first steps of the leukocyte recruitment cascade and a hallmark of inflammation. This work was
published in Scientific Reports (2023), “Miniaturized microscope for non-invasive imaging of leukocyte-
endothelial interaction in human microcirculation".
Dr. Bagramyan demonstrated the ability to detect not just the slow-rolling cells but also fast-flowing
cells in the bloodstream. He validated the developed microscope system in 34 human volunteers and
established the first benchmarks for reliable image-based WBC count measurements. These results
are presented in his second paper, “Towards Non-Invasive White Blood Cell Count in Humans,''
Biomedical Optics Express (2025). In addition, he has a patent application, “System for Stabilized
Noninvasive Imaging of Microvasculature in the Oral Mucosa.”, #WO2023230463A3 (2023), which is in
the international PCT stage.
Dr. Bagramyan is now developing an even more compact version of the device for use on neonates.
Noninvasive blood cell analysis is useful for infants because of their high risk of infection and anemia
from repeated blood sampling. Working in collaboration with Dr. Martha Sola-Visner, Director of
Newborn Medicine Clinical Research Program at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), Dr. Bagramyan
has assumed a leadership role on this project, responsible for everything from the development of the
instrument to the submission of the IRB and coordination with the clinical staff at BCH.
Well done Arutyun and we wish you the very best in the coming years and continued success!

The MGH Research Scholars program was launched in 2011 by the hospital and the Research Institute Advisory Council to provide forward-thinking researchers with the unrestricted funding they need to take their work into new and uncharted territories.

Congratulations to Dr. Conor Evans on receiving the 2025 MGH Research Scholars Award!