New imaging device for breast cancer funded

A European research consortium, headed by the University of Twente, is to receive grants of over €5 million for the development of a new imaging device which could help diagnose breast cancer.

€4.35 million euros is being given by the European Union with the rest coming from the Swiss government.

The device, dubbed ‘Pammoth’, will aim to provide improved photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging and will be able to combine the images provided by both techniques. This new image will hopefully improve and accelerate the diagnosis of breast cancer and also be beneficial for younger women. The device does not use radiation or contrast media which are potentially harmful, and does not cause any pain to the woman being examined. A prototype will be ready for large scale testing and production in four years.

Current techniques to diagnose breast cancer such as x-ray mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can sometimes fail to distinguish a tumour from healthy tissue or a benign abnormality. The consequences are that tumours are missed and unnecessary biopsies have to be carried out.

Srirang Manohar, who will lead the research consortium from the Biomedical Photonic Imaging group part of the UT research institute MIRA said: “We will be working on this prototype with the best partners in Europe and actively involving doctors and patient associations for their inputs and advice in the design and testing processes.” 

Discussing the device’s ability to combine existing photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging techniques, Manohar said: “The images from the two systems will be combined together. This will result in simultaneous three-dimensional information about disease specific optical contrast, as well as about the ultrasound properties which provide anatomic information within the breast. Further we wish to do this combined imaging in real time.”

The University of Twente has been conducting research in photoacoustic mammography, where the breast is illuminated with laser light. The light is then converted into ultrasound in regions where higher concentrations of blood are present. The ultrasound then travels from the tumour to the surface of the skin, where it can be detected. The ‘Pammoth’ aims to improve the technique by using various colours of laser light. This will improve the visualisation of tumours and will offer more information about the oxygen saturation of the blood in tumours.

The researchers are also hoping to take significant steps in the field of ultrasound. They will develop technology which will produce a three-dimensional image, with the ultrasound waves being generated in an unconventional manner. Contrary to regular ultrasound imaging, hand-held scanners will not be used in this project so images are not affected by the operator of the device.

The funding of the device is all thanks to the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. The programme has reserved €80 billion for research and innovation from 2014 to 2020.