This new technology could allow people to use the camera on their smartphone to diagnose diseases.
Image: TMOS
Research published today in ACS Photonics from researchers at the University of Melbourne and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS), is helping miniaturise phase-imaging technology using metasurfaces, which are only a few hundred nanometres thick – about 350 times thinner than the thickness of a human hair – thus small enough to fit in the lens of a smartphone or other small camera.
The detection of diseases often relies on optical microscope technology to investigate changes in biological cells. Currently, these investigation methods usually involve staining the cells with chemicals in a laboratory environment as well as using specialised ‘phase-imaging’ microscopes. These aim to make invisible aspects of a biological cell visible, so early-stage detection of disease becomes possible. However, phase-imaging microscopes are bulky and cost thousands of dollars, putting them out of reach of remote medical practices.
In addition to providing resources for remote medical practices, this new technology could one day lead to at-home disease detection, where the patient could obtain their own specimen through saliva or a pinprick of blood, and then transmit an image to a laboratory anywhere in the world. The lab could then analyse and diagnose the illness.
Lead researcher, University of Melbourne Dr Lukas Wesemann said similar to expensive phase-imaging microscopes, these metasurfaces can manipulate the light passing through them to make otherwise invisible aspects of objects like live biological cells visible.
“We manufactured our metasurface with an array of tiny rods – nanorods – on a flat surface, arranged in such a way as to turn an invisible property of light, called its ‘phase’, into a normal image visible to the human eye, or conventional cameras,” Dr Wesemann said.
“These phase-imaging metasurfaces create high contrast, pseudo-3D images without the need for computer post-processing.
“Making medical diagnostic devices smaller, cheaper and more portable will help disadvantaged regions gain access to healthcare that is currently only available to first world countries.”
Co-author, TMOS Chief Investigator and University of Melbourne Professor Ann Roberts, said it was an exciting breakthrough in the field of phase-imaging.
“It’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how metasurfaces will completely reimagine conventional optics and lead to a new generation of miniaturised devices.”
Original Article: New nanotech imaging tool may allow smartphone disease diagnosis
More from: University of Melbourne
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Smartphone disease diagnosis
- Detecting fusarium head blight using a smartphone
Researchers tested whether they could detect fusarium head blight in wheat using simple cell phone images of grains.
- Covid testing led to new techniques of disease diagnosis: progress mustn’t stop now
The pandemic exposed critical shortcomings of existing diagnostic techniques. It revealed an urgent need for tests that are faster, simpler, cheaper and more scalable than existing methods, and just ...
- Covid testing led to new techniques of disease diagnosis
New techniques of disease diagnosis have been developed that can be applied to other emerging zoonotic pathogens such as disease X a hypothetical infectious disease that has the potential to develop ...
- 17-Year-old Wins $150,000 in Science Talent Search for Remarkable Way to Diagnose Pediatric Heart Disease
With a personal story driving her on, she managed an 85% rate of positive diagnoses with only a smartphone image ...
- How to lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease
Making simple lifestyle changes – and regular blood pressure tests – can help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Smartphone disease diagnosis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”smartphone disease diagnosis” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Phase-imaging metasurfaces
- Using Phase Change Materials For Energy Storage
Phase change materials are proving to be a useful tool to store excess energy and recover it later – storing energy not as electricity, but as heat. Let’s take a look at how the technology ...
- Phase Coherent Beamforming SDR
A case in point: [Laakso Mikko’s] research group has built a multichannel receiver using 21 cheap RTL-SDR dongles to create a phase coherent array. This is useful for everything from direction ...
- What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023
See the phase of the moon tonight and the rest of the moon phases for 2023, and when you can see them. Today, Feb. 14, 2023, the moon is 24 days old and is currently in the waning crescent phase ...
- Evaluation of the Liver for Metastatic Disease
[1] Often, precontrast or arterial-phase imaging demonstrates diffuse disease better than portal venous-phase imaging alone (Fig. 14). If in doubt, MRI or biopsy will prove helpful. Metastatic ...
- Luteal Phase Defect
If it's hard for you to get pregnant or you get miscarriages, it's possible that something called a luteal phase defect is playing a role. It's a condition that disrupts your menstrual cycle ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Phase-imaging metasurfaces
[google_news title=”” keyword=”phase-imaging metasurfaces” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
