Star Trek tech for health

Advances in medical imaging are nothing new, in some cases allowing for the detection of abnormalities that are so small health care practitioners aren't exactly sure what to do about them, or even if they will ever harm your health. In some cases attempts to increase imaging accuracy using computer-aided detection appear to be causing far more harm (and expense) than good. And unfortunately much health imaging technology provides a very unhealthy dose of radiation along with visual insights into your physiology. In fact, even in condtions where much safer ultrasounds are gold standard, docs sometimes favor more potent (and harmful) imaging technology such as the CAT scan.

So its always exciting when a new health imaging technology comes along with the potential to provide profound knowledge, without irradiating you in the process. Enter Dr. Dipanjan Pan from the futuristic sounding  Consortium for Translational Research in Advanced Imaging and Nanomedicine at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Along with several coauthors, Dr. Pan reports in FASEB Journal on a novel new imaging technology called photoacoustic tomography (PAT). When combined with gold nanobeacon contrast agent, PAT produced images that were detailed enough to detect new blood vessel growth in tumors grown in some unfortunate lab rats. These were the earliest, microscopic form of blood vessels, so small that blood hadn't even started to flow through them. The real world application potential is that it could be used to spot growing tumors at an early stage before they threaten human health. That's some pretty hi-res imaging.

How does PAT work? In a nutshell, it uses a light beam to warm specific proteins ever so slightly, causing them to emit sound waves that are "heard" by an ultrasound transducer. Journal editor Gerald Weissmann says the technology "verges on Star Trek territory." He means that in the good way.

While the precious sounding gold nanobeacon contrast agent may carry unknown health implications, by using ultrasound technology to listen to the echo of slightly warmed molecules, PAT may well provide extreme definition with the safety profile of an ultrasound.

More practical examples of innovative science being applied to solve health care conundrums.