Nanotech sharpens ultrasound

New research has shown that nanotechnology may one day be used to improve the quality of ultrasound images to help detect the very earliest stages of serious diseases like cancer.

In laboratory experiments on mice, scientists found that nano-sized particles injected into the animals improved the resulting images. This study is one of the first reports showing that ultrasound can detect these tiny particles when they are inside the body, said Thomas Rosol, a study co-author and dean of the college of veterinary medicine at Ohio State University.

Not only can ultrasound waves sense nanoparticles, but the particles can brighten the resulting image. The researchers anticipate that in future the bright spots may indicate that a few cells in the area may be on the verge of mutating and growing out of control.

“The long-term goal is to use this technology to improve our ability to identify very early cancers and other diseases,” said Jun Liu, a study co-author and an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Ohio State University. “We ultimately want to identify disease at its cellular level, at its very earliest stage.”