Dual mode photoacoustic and ultrasound scanner for medical imaging
Project ID: 2531ad1566
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Research Theme: Healthcare Technologies
UCL Lead department: Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
Lead Supervisor: Paul Beard
Project Summary:
Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a new imaging technique based upon the detection of laser generated ultrasound waves. It can provide highly detailed images of small blood vessel abnormalities such as those associated with cancer, diabetes and inflammatory skin diseases. However although PAT can reveal the blood vessel networks in the tissue with great clarity the surrounding tissue structures tends to remain invisible.
The aim of this project is to address this by combining ultrasound imaging with PAT. Since PAT images depend on optical absorption while ultrasound images represent the mechanical properties of tissue, combining the two modalities offers the prospect of enhanced diagnostic power and thus clinical utility. For example, in the context of cancer imaging, the PAT image could reveal the vascular architecture of a tumour while the ultrasound image could provide information on its elastic properties; abnormalities in both can be hallmarks of malignancy. This could enable earlier detection, more specific diagnosis and better treatment monitoring of cancer.
The project will involve a combination of experimental work, numerical simulations and algorithm development. It will require developing a new type of bench-top laser scanner optimised for dual PAT and ultrasound imaging, novel laser-generated ultrasound schemes and image reconstruction algorithms. The system will be evaluated on ex-vivo tissues and human volunteers. It may also be possible to undertake a small-scale study on patients with cancer or inflammatory conditions to demonstrate potential clinical utility.
The project will be undertaken within the Photoacoustic Imaging and Biomedical Ultrasound research groups in the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering. It will involve working in a stimulating research environment alongside instrumentation engineers, applied physicists, mathematicians and clinicians. Overall, it presents an opportunity to undertake truly multidisciplinary research within an internationally renowned research group that could have a significant impact on cancer imaging.