New optical technique could revolutionize medical diagnostics

 An Aston University researcher has developed a new technique using light which could revolutionise non-invasive medical diagnostics and optical communication.

The research showcases how a type of light called the Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) can be harnessed to improve imaging and data transmission through skin and other biological tissues.A team led by Professor Igor Meglinski found that OAM light has unmatched sensitivity and accuracy that could result in making procedures such as surgery or biopsies unnecessary. In addition it could enable doctors to track the progression of diseases and plan appropriate treatment options.

OAM is defined as a type of structured light beams, which are light fields which have a tailored spatial structure. Often referred to as vortex beams, they have previously been applied to a number of developments in different applications including astronomy, microscopy, imaging, metrology, sensing, and optical communications.

Professor Meglinski in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oulu, Finland conducted the research which is detailed in the paper "Phase preservation of orbital angular momentum of light in multiple scattering environment" which is published in the Nature journal Light Science & Application. The paper has since been named as one of the year's most exciting pieces of research by international optics and photonics membership organisation, Optica.

The study reveals that OAM retains its phase characteristics even when passing through highly scattering media, unlike regular light signals. This means it can detect extremely small changes with an accuracy of up to 0.000001 on the refractive index, far surpassing the capabilities of many current diagnostic technologies.

Professor Meglinski who is based at Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies said: "By showing that OAM light can travel through turbid or cloudy and scattering media, the study opens up new possibilities for advanced biomedical applications.

"For example, this technology could lead to more accurate and non-invasive ways to monitor blood glucose levels, providing an easier and less painful method for people with diabetes."

The research team conducted a series of controlled experiments, transmitting OAM beams through media with varying levels of turbidity and refractive indices. They used advanced detection techniques, including interferometry and digital holography, to capture and analyse the light's behaviour. They found that the consistency between experimental results and theoretical models highlighted the ability of the OAM-based approach.

Source: ScienceDaily

Non-electric touchpad takes sensor technology to extreme conditions

 Researchers at Tampere University have developed the world's first soft touchpad that can sense the force, area and location of contact without electricity. The device utilises pneumatic channels, enabling its use in environments such as MRI machines and other conditions that are unsuitable for electronic devices. Soft devices like soft robots and rehabilitation aids could also benefit from this new technology.

Researchers at Tampere University have developed the world's first soft touchpad that is able to sense the force, area and location of contact without electricity.

That has traditionally required electronic sensors, but the newly developed touchpad does not need electricity as it uses pneumatic channels embedded in the device for detection.

Made entirely of soft silicone, the device contains 32 channels that adapt to touch, each only a few hundred micrometres wide.

In addition to detecting the force, area, and location of touch, the device is precise enough to recognise handwritten letters on its surface and it can even distinguish multiple simultaneous touches.

"Electronic sensors may stop functioning in extreme conditions, such as in a strong magnetic field. Since the touchpad is not electric, a strong magnetic field does not affect it, which makes it ideal for use in devices such as MRI machines," says Doctoral Researcher Vilma Lampinen.

The sensor technology used in the touchpad enables, for example, that if cancer tumours are found during an MRI scan, a pneumatic robot can take a biopsy while the patient is being scanned.

The sensor technology guides this robot together with the data produced by the MRI images.

The pneumatic device can also be used in strong radiation or conditions where even a small spark of electricity would cause a serious hazard.

The flexibility of silicone as a material allows the integration of sensors into applications where traditional hard electronics cannot be used.

These include soft robots, which are made of soft rubber-like materials and typically move using pneumatic power.

By adding data collected by sensors to such soft, non-electric devices, it will be possible to map the location, force, and area of touch across the entire surface of the device in the future.

In addition to soft robots, advanced prosthetic hands would also benefit from adding a sense of touch.

"Soft robotic hands could be used to replace current prosthetic hands on, e.g., production lines. Being soft, they are safer, lighter and potentially cheaper to manufacture. Touch sensors around the hand would also enable a more delicate grip," says Lampinen.

Source: ScienceDaily

New imaging technique accurately detects aggressive kidney cancer

 A new study led by investigators from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has demonstrated a new, non-invasive imaging technique can accurately detect clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer.

The findings, published in The Lancet Oncology, could greatly reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries and ensure that patients receive the right treatment at the right time, potentially changing how doctors diagnose and treat the disease in the future.

"If kidney cancer is diagnosed late, the chances of survival drop significantly, especially if the cancer has spread," said Dr. Brian Shuch, director of the Kidney Cancer Program and the Alvin & Carrie Meinhardt Endowed Chair in Kidney Cancer Research at UCLA, and lead author of the study. "But if caught early, over 90% of patients can survive for at least five years. If we are going to survey more tumors, it's crucial to accurately identify clear-cell renal cell carcinoma early on as they have a greater propensity to grow and spread."

Kidney cancers, known as renal cell carcinomas, make up 90% of solid kidney tumors. Every year more than 81,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with kidney cancer. Among the many types of these cancers, the most common and deadly is clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, which accounts for 75% of cases and 90% of kidney cancer deaths. Traditional imaging methods like CT or MRI often struggle to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors, leading to either unnecessary surgeries or delayed treatment.

To help improve the detection of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, the team tested a non-invasive method that uses a monoclonal antibody drug called 89Zr-TLX250, which targets the protein CA9 that is often found in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

The phase 3 trial, called ZIRCON, included 332 patients with suspect lesions detected on their kidney from 36 research hospitals from nine different countries with UCLA leading international accrual. The average age of participants was 61 years, with 71% being male and 29% female.

The patients were injected with 89Zr-TLX250, which travels through the body and attaches to the protein CA9 if present in the kidney mass. CA9 is highly expressed in up to 95% of clear cell kidney cancers with minimal expression in normal tissue.

A few days after the injection, patients received a PET-CT scan to detect the radioactive part of the drug, which lights up on the scan wherever the protein is present, allowing doctors to see the cancer more clearly. By looking at the scan, doctors can determine if the kidney mass is likely to be cancerous based on whether or not the 89Zr-TLX250 has attached to the cancer cells.

The new imaging method accurately identified the presence of cancer in most cases while minimizing false positives, demonstrating a high performance with 85.5% sensitivity and 87.0% specificity.

Source: Science Daily

Ultrasound can be used as search and rescue tool for the brain

 Ultrasound, once used almost exclusively to take images of the body, is quickly developing into a targeted therapy that can have a potentially life-changing impact on our brains, according to the authors of a new article.

For decades, health professionals across the world have used ultrasound as a means of monitoring the development of unborn babies and assessing the health of patients' internal organs.

But writing in the journal PLOS Biology, researchers from Stanford University, the University of Plymouth, and Attune Neurosciences say it has now been demonstrated to offer a non-invasive and precise way of targeting specific areas of the human brain.

This is enabling them to investigate how a technique known as transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) can help people with conditions ranging from pain, alcoholism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and Parkinson's disease, all without the use of drugs or surgery.

Beyond the treatment, the researchers discuss in the new article how the technology can also be used to temporarily test areas before treating them, serving as a sort of "search and rescue tool for the brain."

This enables them to find the sources of brain-related issues and disorders prior to treating them, which may be on the critical path towards personalized treatments.

However, they acknowledge there are still a number of complex challenges that need to be addressed before TUS can be rolled out in healthcare settings -- and maybe even homes -- on a global scale.

These include the fact that each of the 8.2 billion brains and skulls on the planet is different, and work is still required to tailor the technique so that it can be delivered in such a way as to enable as many people as possible to benefit from it.

And while significant advances have been made to the technology, reaching a point where it can still be effective -- but also sustainable from a cost perspective -- is still some years away.

But at present the researchers have developed and are testing a TUS device small and simple enough for people to use them at home following a series of clinical assessments, rather than having to continually go into hospitals or other healthcare settings.

The article was written by Dr Keith Murphy, co-founder of Attune Neurosciences and researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine, and Professor Elsa Fouragnan, who leads the Brain Stimulation Lab in the University of Plymouth's Brain Research and Imaging Centre.

Dr Murphy said: "There are countless reasons people can't get to a clinic, whether it's financial strain or simply not having the time. In the past few years, we've made substantial progress towards a device that leverages MRI precision guidance but may still be used safely at home. We've always believed that portability was a critical step towards making advanced brain therapies accessible to everyone and we've made great strides in demonstrating that it works."

The researchers further discuss how focused ultrasound can also be integrated with other emerging technologies, for example improving the accuracy and effectiveness of interfaces that enable direct communication between the brain and external devices.

Professor Fouragnan added: "Over many years, we have improved our understanding of how the brain works and the failings within it that lead to neurological and mental health conditions. However, while advances have been made in treatments, they have not happened at a similar pace. We believe TUS can fill that gap and through our research to this point, we have discovered how it can be a genuine search and rescue tool for the brain. Clinicians and patients are excited about its potential, and if the current pace of development continues, we could have a risk-free technology that can positively impact millions, if not billions, of people."

Source: ScienceDaily

New imaging analysis technique revolutionizes diagnostics of head and neck cancers

 Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck area is among the ten most common types of cancer.

Using a method based on machine learning, researchers at the University of Helsinki in collaboration with the University of Turku and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Bio medicine in Germany analysed hundreds of bio bank patient samples at the level of accuracy of individual cells. The new technology combines indicators of cancer cell behavior and the architecture of the tumor and the surrounding healthy tissue to create a type of 'fingerprint' for each patient that can be used to assess the prognosis and treatment response to cancer.

The most significant finding of the study was the development of a new imaging analysis technique that combines analyses of biomarkers of cell behavior with morphological analyses of single cell shape and the structure of the entire tumor tissues. The method enabled the identification of two new previously undetected groups of patients. For the first group, the prognosis was exceptionally good, while in the second it was exceptionally bad. The difference was explained by the specif combination of a specific cancer cell state and the composition of the tissue surrounding the cancer cells. In the latter group, the aggressiveness of the disease was associated with signalling between cancer tissue and surrounding healthy connective tissue mediated by the epidermal growth factor (EGF).

"These results are a breakthrough in understanding cancer development and diagnostics. For the first time, we have shown that specific combinations of malignant cells and tissue cell types in what is considered healthy tissue have a strong prognostic effect on cancer progression. In addition, we identified a key signalling pathway that explains this compound effect and which can be pharmacological targeted, consequently significantly affecting the progression of the cancer," says Research Director Sara Wickström.

"In addition, our method was able to identify patients with a particularly poor prognosis who would benefit from an aggressive treatment strategy. On the other hand, we also identified a group of patients whose prognosis was good and for whom a less aggressive treatment, such as a surgical procedure alone, could be sufficient. This would help preserve patient quality of life" says Postdoctoral Researcher Karolina Punovuori from Wickström's research group.

Diagnostic test under development

The new imaging method opens the door for precision diagnoses for cancers in the head and neck area. The researchers are currently developing a diagnostic test for more accurate diagnosis of this type of cancer. In addition, they are also studying the use of the method in the diagnostics of other types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer. They have received Business Finland's Research to Business funding for the Multi vision Diagnostics project, which develops applications that may become available to cancer clinics.

Source: ScienceDaily

Keeping fewer friends protects aging monkeys from diseases

 Becoming less sociable protects older monkeys from getting ill, new research shows.

Many animals, including humans, are known to experience "social ageing" -- reductions in their number of social connections as they get older.

But why this happens remains a mystery.

The new study, led by the universities of Exeter and Edinburgh, used long-term data on rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago -- known as Monkey Island.

They found that older macaques are likely to suffer less from infectious disease, mostly because of their smaller social networks.

The study is published as part of a special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, guest edited by Professor Lauren Brent from the University of Exeter.

"Social ties bring huge benefits to a vast range of species -- but sociality also comes with costs, including infectious disease risk," said Dr Erin Siracusa, from Exeter's Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour.

"This cost-benefit ratio can change across individuals' lifespans, which may drive changes in social behaviour.

"Older individuals may be more susceptible to diseases -- but once we accounted for that in our data, we found that older macaques suffered lower infection costs than their younger counterparts.

"Our findings suggest a powerful reason why many animals, including humans, might reduce their social connections as they age."

The benefits macaques gained from social ageing depended on the diseases in question.

Unsurprisingly, the benefit was strongest when diseases were highly infectious and were more severe for older macaques.

Dr Matthew Silk, from the University of Edinburgh, said: "Our results point to illness potentially helping to explain why 'social ageing' evolves -- something we are keen to test in future research."

The research was partly funded by the National Institutes of Health and Dr Silk's Royal Society University Research Fellowship.

The study is entitled: "Social ageing can protect against infectious disease in a group-living primate."

The special issue of the journal is called: "Understanding age and society using natural populations."

 sources-science daily

Revolutionary high-speed 3D bioprinter hailed a game changer for drug discovery

 Biomedical engineers from the University of Melbourne have invented a 3D printing system, or bioprinter, capable of fabricating structures that closely mimic the diverse tissues in the human body, from soft brain tissue to harder materials like cartilage and bone.

This cutting-edge technology offers cancer researchers an advanced tool for replicating specific organs and tissues, significantly improving the potential to predict and develop new pharmaceutical therapies. This would pave the way for more advanced and ethical drug discovery by reducing the need for animal testing.

Head of the Collins BioMicrosystems Laboratory at the University of Melbourne, Associate Professor David Collins said: "In addition to drastically improving print speed, our approach enables a degree of cell positioning within printed tissues. Incorrect cell positioning is a big reason most 3D bioprinters fail to produce structures that accurately represent human tissue.

"Just as a car requires its mechanical components to be arranged precisely for proper function, so too must the cells in our tissues be organised correctly. Current 3D bioprinters depend on cells aligning naturally without guidance, which presents significant limitations.

"Our system, on the other hand, uses acoustic waves generated by a vibrating bubble to position cells within 3D printed structures. This method provides the necessary head start for cells to develop into the complex tissues found in the human body."

Most commercially available 3D bioprinters rely on a slow, layer-by-layer fabrication approach, which presents several challenges. This method can take hours to finish, jeopardising the viability of living cells during the printing process. Additionally, once printed, the cell structures must be carefully transferred into standard laboratory plates for analysis and imaging -- a delicate step that risks compromising the integrity of these fragile structures.

The University of Melbourne research team has flipped the current process on its head by developing a sophisticated optical-based system, replacing the need for a layer-by-layer approach.

The innovative technique uses vibrating bubbles to 3D print cellular structures in just a matter of seconds, which is around 350 times faster than traditional methods and enables researchers to accurately replicate human tissues with cellular resolution.

By dramatically reducing the 3D printing time and printing directly into standard lab plates, the team has been able to significantly increase the cell survival rate, whilst eliminating the need for physical handling. Ensuring the printed structures remain intact and sterile throughout the process.PhD student Callum Vidler, the lead author on this work, said the groundbreaking technology was already generating excitement in the medical research sector.

"Biologists recognise the immense potential of bioprinting, but until now, it has been limited to applications with a very low output," he said. "We've developed our technology to address this gap, offering significant advancements in speed, precision, and consistency. This creates a crucial bridge between lab research and clinical applications.

"So far, we've engaged with around 60 researchers from institutions including the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Harvard Medical School, and the Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive."

sources-science daily