Optical Imaging Technology may Aid Doctors Treat Cancer and Brain Diseases better

New technology uses optical imaging to help surgeons map out tumors in the body and help them learn how certain diseases affect activity in the brain. The findings of the study are published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging. "We are using light to extract new information from tissue to inform doctors and assist them in designing and carrying out surgeries to remove tumors," said Brian Bentz, a Purdue alumnus, who worked on the technology with Kevin Webb, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue. "It is a localization method where our technology helps the surgeon pinpoint precise information about the depth and location of tumors. Such information is not easily accessible with current technologies."

The Purdue technology uses contrast in the absorption of light and fluorescent agents that are introduced into the body to find tumors and/or blood vessels within the tissue. The same technology can be used to study neuron activation in the brain, which can help doctors detect diseases such as Parkinson's.

Bentz said the Purdue technology overcomes one of the major challenges with fluorescence imaging - the light becomes highly scattered, and that limits the information that a surgeon receives.

"Our technology aims to provide more detailed information about tumors for surgeons and neuron activity in the brain, both of which can improve outcomes for patients," Bentz said.

The innovators are working with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to patent the technology.

Source-Eurekalert