![Manmohan Singh [pictured], a research assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has worked with Biomedical Engineering chairman Kirill Larin and two professors from the University of Western Australia to write a new review paper on the advantages and limitations of optical coherence elastography (OCE).](/sites/ccoe.egr.uh.edu/files/images/news/2025/manmohan-singh-headshot-01-crop.jpg "Manmohan Singh [pictured], a research assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has worked with Biomedical Engineering chairman Kirill Larin and two professors from the University of Western Australia to write a new review paper on the advantages and limitations of optical coherence elastography (OCE).")
![Singh [foreground] and Larin [right] in the lab.](/sites/ccoe.egr.uh.edu/files/images/news/2025/singh-and-larin-lab-01.jpg "Singh [foreground] and Larin [right] in the lab.")
A new review paper published in Nature Reviews Methods Primers from the research group of Kirill Larin, Cullen Endowed Chair and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, highlights several key advantages and limitations of optical coherence elastography (OCE), as well as likely future advances and opportunities in OCE.
At UH, Larin worked with Manmohan Singh — Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering — on the review. Additional authors are Matt S. Hepburn and Brendan F. Kennedy, both of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Western Australia.
OCE is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses light to image the mechanical properties of tissues. In “Optical coherence elastography,” the authors talk about the developments for the technique over the past two decades, as well as the key advantages and limitations of OCE.
“OCE has undergone a significant transition in the past few years. Previously, OCE research was focused on novel applications and technical developments. Now, OCE has matured to clinical relevance, and a handful of important clinical studies have emerged showing that it can be used to detect disease and understand the importance that mechanics plays in disease,” Singh said.
“When we were approached by the Nature publishing group about this OCE Primer, we immediately knew we had to collaborate on it with Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Hepburn. They have been instrumental in OCE’s development and transition to the clinic, which is evidenced by their immense progress, particularly for detecting breast cancer margins.”
The partnership between Singh and Larin has also been fruitful through the years, and Singh has flourished at UH as well. He earned his B.S. and Ph.D. from Cullen, and he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the college before starting as a research assistant professor in December 2021. He earned a University of Houston President’s Circle Award in 2025, and a 50 in 5 Award — recognizing research excellence and gains — in 2024.
“I have been at UH since 2011, and it’s like a second home,” Singh said. “I am honored and privileged to have Dr. Larin as a mentor, and he never ceases to inspire and motivate me so that I can be a better scientist and engineer.”