Beckman Researchers Creating New Biomedical Imaging Methods for Screening Breast Cancer, Other Diseases

Using sound and light, mathematical equations, chemistry, and computer processing power, Beckman Institute researchers will be giving doctors new tools and patients peace of mind through the development of fast, accurate, and powerful medical imaging technologies for diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Beckman researchers are imagining and creating exciting new technologies that could in the near future perform non-invasive breast biopsies – using light in one method and sound waves in another – or differentiate between non-cancerous and cancerous mammary tissues through an advanced ultrasound method. Institute faculty members from different disciplines are seeking to arm physicians, clinicians, and other medical personnel with more detailed information on the physical structure of cells and the cellular processes involved in disease, knowledge that could improve patient care in numerous ways.

Among their efforts are the creation of real-time imaging techniques for diagnosis that will give physicians visual information at the moment of screening rather than waiting days or even weeks for lab results, taking away at least some of the stress patients feel when potentially facing a serious disease. These technologies will also give doctors performing biopsies and operations more detailed images, down to the cellular and in some cases molecular level, allowing for much more precise surgical procedures that remove cancer cells, for example, while leaving healthy tissue intact.

Some of these advancements have come through the improvement of current imaging methods like ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and some through the development of novel imaging techniques like a new optical-based system created at Beckman. These researchers are at the forefront of an imaging revolution that will in the next few years lead to earlier, more accurate diagnosis of disease, and more effective procedures for treating those diseases.

While the approaches and applications may vary and the researchers have different backgrounds, many are applying themselves to breast cancer screening methods. Several Institute researchers are part of a Beckman seed proposal for developing molecular scale imaging technologies for imaging breast cancer and are collaborating on projects with medical institutions, including some who are working with Carle Foundation Hospital's Mills Breast Cancer Institute. Others are applying their methods toward other cancers and disorders, and all say the technologies can someday be used for numerous biomedical applications.

To learn more about this work from the researchers themselves, see the following videos where leaders in the bioimaging field like Beckman researchers Stephen Boppart. Michael Insana, William O’Brien, and Rohit Bhargava discuss their innovations and the impact they could have for doctors and patients.