A team of researchers at University College London (UCL) has made significant strides in miniaturizing a laser-based scanner that promises to transform medical imaging by providing unprecedented detail without the harmful effects of X-rays. This innovative device utilizes a technique called Photoacoustic Tomography (PAT), which combines laser light and ultrasound waves to create real-time three-dimensional images of biological tissues, particularly blood vessels.
The PAT technique, which has been under development for over two decades, traditionally required several seconds or even minutes to capture an image. However, the UCL team has successfully reduced this time to less than a second, paving the way for a handheld scanner suitable for routine clinical use. This advancement aims to eliminate the need for costly imaging equipment like MRI machines, while also avoiding the risks associated with X-ray imaging.
Professor Paul Beard, a medical physicist at UCL and contributor to the research, emphasized the significance of these technical advancements. “These advances make the system suitable for clinical use for the first time, allowing us to examine aspects of human biology and disease that we haven’t been able to visualize before,” he stated. The rapid imaging capability of the scanner enables real-time observation of physiological processes, such as blood flow, without the blurring effects often seen in traditional imaging methods.
In preliminary trials involving patients with early-stage diabetes, the scanner revealed critical insights into low blood flow to the feet, a challenging complication of the condition. Andrew Plumb, an associate professor of medical imaging at UCL, noted, “For the first time, we could see the differences in blood vessel conditions between patients’ feet, which could indicate future tissue damage.”
The potential applications of this technology extend to cancer diagnostics as well. Cancer tumors typically feature dense networks of small blood vessels that are difficult to detect using conventional imaging techniques. Dr. Nam Huynh from UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering highlighted the possibility of using photoacoustic imaging to assist cancer surgeons in distinguishing between tumor and normal tissue, thereby improving surgical outcomes and reducing recurrence rates.
While the UCL team recognizes the promising nature of their work, they acknowledge that further studies with larger patient groups are necessary to fully validate the technology’s potential before it can be developed for routine clinical use. If successful, this breakthrough could represent a paradigm shift in medical diagnostics, providing safer and more effective imaging options for patients worldwide.