Associate Professor, Dermatology
School of Medicine

- CREOL Fellowship, University of Central Florida, 2000-2005
- UCF Graduate Studies Fellowship, Summer 2006
- Certificate of Appreciation - College of Optics & Photonics: CREOL&FPCE 2006
- UCI Emerging Innovation/Early Career award, nominee 2020
- School of Medicine Annual Outstanding Mid-Career Faculty Research Award (Clinical Research) 2024

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
1. Martelli S, Mancini A, Giorgi R, Alexandrescu R, Cojocaru S, Crunteanu A, Voicu I, Balu M, Morjan I. Production of iron oxide nanoparticles by laser-induced pyrolysis of gaseous precursors. Appl Surf Sci. 2000;154:353-9.
2. Balu M, Hales J, Hagan DJ, Van Stryland EW. White-light continuum Z-scan technique for nonlinear materials characterization. Opt Express. 2004;12(16):3820-6.
3. Hernandez FE, Belfield KD, Cohanoschi I, Balu M, Schafer KJ. Three- and four-photon absorption of a multiphoton absorbing fluorescent probe. Appl Optics. 2004;43(28):5394-8.
4. Schafer KJ, Hales JM, Balu M, Belfield KD, Van Stryland EW, Hagan DJ. Two-photon absorption cross-sections of common photoinitiators. J Photoch Photobio A. 2004;162(2-3):497-502. doi: Doi 10.1016/S1010-6030(03)00394-0.
5. Balu M, Hales J, Hagan DJ, Van Stryland EW. Dispersion of nonlinear refraction and two-photon absorption using a white-light continuum Z-scan. Opt Express. 2005;13(10):3594-9.
6. Balu M, Padilha LA, Hagan DJ, Van Stryland EW, Yao S, Belfield K, et al. Broadband Z-scan characterization using a high spectral-irradiance, high-quality supercontinuum. J Opt Soc Am B. 2008;25(2):159-65.
7. Balu M, Baldacchini T, Carter J, Krasieva TB, Zadoyan R, Tromberg BJ. Effect of excitation wavelength on penetration depth in nonlinear optical microscopy of turbid media. J Biomed Opt. 2009;14 (1):010508.
8. Balu M, Liu GJ, Chen ZP, Tromberg BJ, Potma EO. Fiber delivered probe for efficient CARS imaging of tissues. Opt Express. 2010;18 (3):2380-8.
9. Getmanenko YA, Hales JM, Balu M, Fu J, Zojer E, Kwon O, et al. Characterization of a dipolar chromophore with third harmonic generation applications in the near-IR. J Mater Chem. 2012; 22 (10):4371-82.
10. Balu M, Mazhar A, Hayakawa C, Mittal R, Krasieva TB, Koenig K, Venugopalan V, Tromberg BJ. In vivo multiphoton NADH fluorescence reveals depth-dependent keratinocyte metabolism in human skin. Biophysical Journal, 2012; 104(1): 258-67
11. Mittal R, Balu M, Wilder-Smith P, Potma EO. Achromatic miniature lens system for coherent Raman scattering microscopy. Biomed Opt Express, 2013; 4(10):2196-206
J12. Krasieva TB, Stringari C, Liu F, Sun CH, Kong Y, Balu M, Meyskens FL, Gratton E, Tromberg BJ. Two-photon excited fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and spectroscopy of melanins in-vitro and in-vivo, Journal Biomed Opt. 2013; 18(3):031107
13. Mittal R, Balu M, Krasieva T, Potma EO, Elkeeb L, Zachary CB, Wilder-Smith P. Evaluation of stimulated Raman scattering microscopy for identifying squamous cell carcinoma in human skin. Laser Surg Med. 2013; 45(8): 496-502
14. Balu M, Kelly MK, Zachary CB, Harris RM, Krasieva TB, Koenig K, Durkin AJ, Tromberg, BJ. Distinguishing between benign and malignant melanocytic nevi by in vivo multiphoton microscopy. Cancer Research 2014; 74(10), 2688-97
15. Balu M, Saytashev I, Hou J, Dantus M, Tromberg BJ. Sub-40 fs, 1060-nm Yb-fiber laser enhances penetration depth in nonlinear optical microscopy of human skin. J Biomed Opt. 2015;20(12):120501. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.20.12.120501. PubMed PMID: 26641198; PMCID: 4671301.
16. Balu M, Tromberg, BJ. Multiphoton microscopy for non-invasive optical biopsy of human skin. RoJCED 2015;2(3):160-6.
17. Saager RB, Balu M, Crosignani V, Sharif A, Durkin AJ, Kelly KM, Tromberg BJ. In vivo measurements of cutaneous melanin across spatial scales: using multiphoton microscopy and spatial frequency domain spectroscopy. J Biomed Opt. 2015;20(6):066005. PMID: 26065839; PMCID: 4463032.
18. Balu M, Zachary CB, Harris RM, Krasieva TB, Koenig K, Tromberg BJ, Kelly MK. In Vivo Multiphoton Microscopy of Basal Cell Carcinoma. JAMA Dermatology 2015; 151(10): 1068-74
19. Balu M, Mikami H, Hou J, Potma EO, and Tromberg BJ, "Rapid mesoscale multiphoton microscopy of human skin," Biomed. Opt. Express 2016; 7, 4375-4387 PMC5119580
20. Pouli D, Balu M, Alonzo CA, Liu Z, Quinn KP, Rius-Diaz F, Harris RM, Kelly KM, Tromberg BJ, Georgakoudi I "Imaging mitochondrial dynamics in human skin reveals depth-dependent hypoxia and malignant potential for diagnosis", Science Translational Medicine, 8, 367ra169 (2016)
21. Balu M, Lentsch G, Korta D, Koenig K, Kelly KM, Tromberg BJ, Zachary CB "In vivo multiphoton-microscopy of picosecond laser-induced optical breakdown in human skin", Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 49, 555-62 (2017)
22. Amber KT, Valdebran M, Makdisi J, De Feraudy S, Balu M, Kelly KM “A case of photo distributed multicentric reticulohistiocytosis: correlation with multiphoton microscopy imaging”, JDDG: Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft, 16 (6), 781-783 (2018)
23. Verdel N, Lentsch G, Balu M, Tromberg BJ, and Majaron B, "Noninvasive assessment of skin structure by combined photothermal radiometry and optical spectroscopy: coregistration with multiphoton microscopy," Appl. Opt. 57 (18), D117- D122 (2018)
24. Lin J, Saknite I, Valdebran M, Balu M, Lentsch G, Williams J, Koenig K, Tromberg B, Mesinkovska NA, “Feature characterization of scarring and non-scarring types of alopecia by multiphoton microscopy”, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 51(1), 95-103 (2018)
25. Lentsch G, Balu M, Koenig K, Tromberg BJ, Zachary, BC, Smith J, “In vivo multiphoton microscopy of scabies”, JAAD Case Reports 4 (10), 985-987 (2018)
26. Lentsch G, Balu M, Williams J, Lee, S, Harris, R, Koenig, K, Ganesan, A, Tromberg, B, Nair N, Santhanam U, Misra M, “In vivo multiphoton microscopy of melasma”, Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research 32 (3), 403-411 (2019)
27. Lentsch G, Valdebran M, Saknite I, Smith J, Linden KG, Koenig K, Barr RJ, Harris RM, Tromberg BJ, Ganesan AK, Zachary CB, Kelly KM, Balu M. Non-invasive optical biopsy by multiphoton microscopy identifies the live morphology of common melanocytic nevi. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 33(6) 869-877 (2020) PMID: 32485062 https://doi.org/10.1111/pcmr.12902
28. Fast A, Lal A, Durkin AF, Zachary CB, Ganesan AK, Balu M. Fast, large area multiphoton exoscope (FLAME) for macroscopic imaging with microscopic resolution of human skin. Scientific Reports 10(1), 18093 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75172-9
29. Potma EO, Knez D, Chen Y, Davydova Y, Durkin A, Fast A, Balu M, Norton-Baker B, Martin RW, Baldacchini T, Fishman DA, “Rapid chemically selective 3D imaging in the mid-infrared,” Optica 8, 995-1002 (2021)
30. Mehrabi JN, Fast A, Lentsch G, Balu M, Kelly KM, “A clinical perspective on the automated analysis of reflectance confocal microscopy in dermatology” Lasers Surg Med. 2021 Oct;53(8):1011-1019 PMID: 33476062
31. McAleer S, Fast A, Xue Y, Seiler MJ, Tang WC, Balu M, Baldi P, Browne AW. “Deep Learning-Assisted Multiphoton Microscopy to Reduce Light Exposure and Expedite Imaging in Tissues With High and Low Light Sensitivity” Transl Vis Sci Technol. (2021) Oct 4;10(12):30. PMID: 34668935; PMCID: PMC8543395.
32. Lentsch G, Baugh EG, Lee B, Aszterbaum M, Zachary CB, Kelly KM, Balu M. “Research Techniques Made Simple: Emerging Imaging Technologies for Noninvasive Optical Biopsy of Human Skin” Journal of Investigative Dermatology 142 (5) 1243-52 (2022) PMID: 35461534
33. Vicente JR, Durkin A, Shrestha K, Balu M. “In vivo imaging with a fast large-area multiphoton exoscope (FLAME) captures the melanin distribution heterogeneity in human skin,” Scientific Reports 12, 8106 (2022)
34. Shiu J, Zhang L, Lentsch G, Flesher J, Jin S, Polleys C, Jin Jo S, Mizzoni C, Mobasher P, Kwan J, Ruis-Diaz F, Tromberg B, Georgakoudi I, Nie Q, Balu M, Ganesan AK. “Multimodal analyses of vitiligo skin identifies tissue characteristics of stable disease” Journal of Clinical Investigation 7(13):e154585 (2022) PMID: 35653192 PMCID: PMC9310536
35. Shiu J, Lentsch G, Polleys C, Mobasher P, Ericson M, Georgakoudi I, Ganesan AK, Balu M “Non-invasive Imaging Techniques for Monitoring Cellular Response to Treatment in Stable Vitiligo” Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 144 (4), 912 - 915.e2 (2024) PMID: 37952609
36. Driscoll W, Golbari NM, Vallmitjana A, Durkin AF, Balu M, Zachary CB “Intradermal Delivery of Calcium Hydroxylapatite With Fractionated Ablation”, Lasers Surg Med. 2024 Aug 19, online ahead of print PMID: 39160686
BOOK CHAPTERS
1. Liu G, Balu M, Chen Z, and Potma EO, "Miniature Coherent Raman Probes for in vivo Biomedical Imaging", in Coherent Raman Scattering Microscopy, J. X. Cheng and X. S. Xie (Eds.), CRC Press (2013).
2. Balu M, Kelly KM, Harris RM, Koenig K, Zachary CB, Tromberg BJ., “Multiphoton Microscopy and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging”, Chapter 15; p.75-87 in In vivo multiphoton microscopy of human skin, Koenig K, Editor. Berlin: DeGruyter (2018)
3. Curiel-Lewandrowski C, Stemwedel C, Balu M, Chen SC, Ferris LK, Gerami P, Green AC, Johnson MM, Loescher LJ, Malvehy J, Marghoob AA, Martires K, Pellacani G, Petrie T, Puig S, Saknite I, Swetter SM, Svedenhag P, Tkaczyk ER, Wisco OJ, Leachman SA. Methods of Melanoma Detection. In: Riker AI, editor. Melanoma: A Modern Multidisciplinary Approach. Cham: Springer International Publishing; p. 39-85 (2018).

NIH/NCI-1R01CA259019; Balu (PI), Kelly (PI); 09/01/22-08/31/27; “Fast, large area, multiphoton exoscope (FLAME) for improving early detection of melanoma”; Role: PI, Overseeing the design, development and validation of a clinical imaging platform optimized for early detection of melanoma in partnership with industry and academic collaborators.

NIH/NIBIB - 2R01EB026705-05; Balu (PI), Ganesan (PI); 04/01/23-03/31/27; “Development of a fast scanning, extended field-of-view multiphoton microscope for clinical skin imaging”; Role: PI

NIH/NIAMS - 1R21AR082648-01; Balu (PI), Ganesan (PI); 04/01/23-03/31/25; “In vivo label free optical imaging of immune cells in human skin”; Role: PI

NIH/NIAMS-P30 GRANT11935106; Andersen (PI); 04/01/19-03/31/24; “Skin Biology Resource-Based Center at UCI”; Role: Co-Investigator, Responsible for providing access to and supervising the hands-on training for the clinical multiphoton microscopy platform to P30 members. Offer introductory lectures on clinical skin imaging technology to P30 members at least once a year.

Department of Defense (DoD); D. Preece (Initiating PI); 01/01/23-06/30/27; “Enhancing Postdoctoral Training in DoD Photonics Research for Under-represented Minorities”; Role: co-Investigator

Department of Defense (DoD); R. Tinoco (Initiating PI); 11/01/23-09/30/26; “Intravital Imaging of Melanoma Tumors for Mechanism Discovery and Patient Surveillance After Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy”; Role: co-Investigator

Abbvie; Ganesan (PI); 09/01/23-08/30/25; “Observational Study on Identifying Cytologic and Molecular Biomarkers of Vitiligo Therapeutic Response”; Role: co-Investigator

UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center; Ganesan (PI), Balu (PI), Kelly (PI); 01/01/21-12/31/21; Office of Community of Outreach and Engagement; “Why Do Melanomas in Latin X Patients Evade Early Detection?”; Role: Overseeing the scientific direction related to imaging, data analysis and results interpretation.

UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center; Kelly (PI), Balu (PI); 03/01/20-02/28/21; “Pilot study for evaluating the multiphoton microscopy potential for non invasive, early diagnosis of melanoma”; Role: Overseeing the scientific direction related to imaging, data analysis and results interpretation

NIH/NIBIB - 5R01EB026705; Balu (PI), Ganesan (PI); 04/01/19-03/31/23; “Development of a fast scanning, extended field-of-view multiphoton microscope for clinical skin imaging”; Role: PI

NIH/NIBIB SBIR R43 EB30931; Fast (PI); 09/20/20-03/19/21; “Development of a Fast Large Area Multiphoton Exoscope (FLAME)”; Role: co-PI of the sub-award

1940-103-008 Allergan Inc.; Zachary (PI), Balu (PI); 11/27/19-11/30/20; “A Phase 1, Single-center, open-label, placebo-controlled evaluation of dermal extracellular matrix following intradermal injection of BoNT/A (Botulinum Toxin Type A:Onabotulinumtoxin A) in adult participants”; Role: Overseeing the scientific direction related to imaging, data analysis and results interpretation.

NIH/NCI- R01CA195466; Kelly (PI), Balu (PI); 03/01/16-02/28/20; “Quantitative multiphoton microscopy for non-invasive diagnosis of melanoma”; Role: Supervising the data acquisition; responsible for data analysis and results interpretation.

Unilever- UNI202090; Balu (PI); 10/01/16-09/30/17; “In vivo multiphoton microscopy imaging of epidermal and dermal melasma”; Role: Supervising the data acquisition; responsible for data analysis and results interpretation.

Unilever- UNI202080; Balu (PI); 12/15/14-12/14/16; “Evaluation of the effects of cosmetic treatments on skin collagen and elastin remodeling”; Role: Supervising the data acquisition; responsible for data analysis and results interpretation.

Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=7287

Last updated
11/18/2024