Handheld medical imaging device spots first signs of cancer

This is detailed enough to spot the first signs of tumours in specific cells and is about 100 times higher resolution than X-Ray, computed tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines can provide.

Low-cost OCT scanner promises to save eyesight

The technology behind the device is a result of six years of optical imaging research and was jointly developed by a team from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) with researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the University of Alabama.

Using micro Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), the device emits a spectrum of light between 700 to 950nm (near-infrared light) which penetrates human tissue and organs. The device then measures the delay time of the ‘echo’ from its light waves as they strike different tissue structures. This information will then be used to construct cross-section images of what is being scanned.

The results are sent in real-time to a computer system running software developed at NTU, which assists in diagnosis by assembling the 2D cross-section images into a three-dimensional picture and rendering different parts in colour.