A reconstructed image of the distal surface of a tooth. Courtesy of University of Toronto.
A novel method of creating 3D thermophotonic images developed by Andreas Mandelis (MIE) and his research team is highlighted in
Tumor growth imaging in a live mouse thigh. 3D eTC-PCT amplitude image of the thigh with the right corner removed before tumor injection (a). Amplitude image of the thigh on day three after injection of the cancer cells in the tissue, revealing the penetration depth of the tumor (b). Amplitude image of the thigh nine days after injection of the cancerous cells (c) and 2D filtered image of the tumor on day nine, providing more details of blood vessels (d). On day three, tumor size is much smaller than on day nine. Image size: 1.35 × 1.08 cm; depth scale: ~2 mm. Courtesy of University of Toronto.
Photonics Media. Their method, called “truncated-correlation photothermal coherence tomography (TC-PCT)”, uses infrared camera frames to reconstruct 3D thermal images. This allows for sharp, depth-wise thermal images to be created in materials like living tissues that typically scatter light profusely. These materials normally give rise to diffuse optical and thermal images, but TC-PCT allows for thermal-wave localization which is necessary for the 3D thermal reconstruction revealing previously impenetrable optical absorption images.
This unique technology will have a great impact in biomedicine as it allows for detailed, non-invasive imaging to be completed, leading to early and more precise diagnoses and more successful treatments. This technology can be used to detect dental caries, early cancer growths and even to map blood vessels that may alert to cancer-triggered angiogenesis.
