(Press-News.org) Imagine you just swallowed a pill containing a miniature camera that will help your doctor collect images to diagnose a condition you’ve been battling for years. No, it’s not something from the latest science fiction or Marvel Comics movie – it’s a technique called bioimaging.
While traditional methods of bioimaging such as an MRI, CT scan, or an X-ray are more commonly known, the use of nanodevices is becoming more popular. They are less invasive and provide health care professionals with a closer look deep inside tissue.
Researchers from Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering and College of Science are using their expertise in quantum photonics and nanotechnology along with funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation to develop a groundbreaking nanodevice that can transform low-energy light into high-energy light across a broad spectrum. By enhancing interactions between light and matter at the nanoscale, these devices have increased versatility and are more sensitive to the bodily events happening at the device’s surface when compared with those currently used in the medical industry.
Small but mighty
The research team, including Professor Wei Zhou in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor Giti Khodaparast in the Department of Physics, has uncovered fundamental principles in quantum mechanics that have inspired a novel design to optimize the performance of these optical nanotransducers.
“The really exciting part of our research is the potential for these devices to make significant strides in bioimaging and biosensing,” said Zhou. “They enable researchers to simultaneously gather a variety of information at the intersection of nano and biological systems using different wavelengths of emitted light.”
Researchers will be able to see what's happening at the interface between biological systems and nanodevices, such as voltage changes in brain activities or alterations in biomolecule concentration. By transferring high-energy light from low-energy light, these nanotransducers can capture clearer images to help improve our understanding and diagnoses of various diseases and conditions.
Lifesaving technology
In addition to Zhou and Khodaparast, graduate students from both electrical and computer engineering department and the physics department have played critical roles in this cutting-edge research and have transferred that knowledge to their current work.
Seied Ali Safiabadi Tali earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 2020 and has since been working as a photonics engineer at Quantum-Si.
“It’s amazing to think that the work we are doing can change people’s lives for the better,” said Safiabadi Tali. “This new technology could potentially make bioimaging clearer and allow doctors to spot diseases earlier. Earlier detection means earlier treatment which is critical for many terminal illnesses.”
As a photonics engineer at Quantum-Si, Safiabadi Tali works with a multidisciplinary team of scientists to develop a single-molecule protein-sequencing platform that can transform the scientific community's understanding of the human proteome, unlocking unprecedented insights into the human body. Safiabadi Tali's research in quantum optics, photonics, and biosensing at Virginia Tech has prepared him to continue innovating in Quantum-Si's multidisciplinary workspace.
Physics alumna Rathsara Herath, who also worked on the project, has been using her gained expertise in advanced materials characterizations in her current role as a technology development module and integration yield engineer at Intel.
“I learned a lot from this project when it comes to bioimaging,” said Herath. “The setup of our equipment in the lab needed to be very precise to get accurate data. We also had to make sure that we didn’t damage the materials with the high-powered laser systems we use, which took a lot of time and patience to get just right.”
Beyond health care
Although this novel photonics device is nanoscopic, its potential for future applications is colossal.
“The implications of our breakthrough extend well beyond the realm of health care,” said Zhou. "These resilient nanodevices are made of highly stable materials that are designed to last for extended periods and are virtually resistant to damage. By incorporating our advanced nanophotonic sensors into existing semiconductor and photonics systems, we can greatly enhance the performance of biomedical equipment and more."
Future applications include monitoring water environments in real time, diagnosing leaks in oil and gas pipelines, and detecting explosives or chemical weapons.
END
The picture of health: Virginia Tech researchers enhance bioimaging and sensing with quantum photonics
2023-07-12
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Virginia Tech awarded $3.4 million grant to study the environmental effects of utility-scale solar installations
2023-07-12
As utility-scale solar farms become more widespread as a source of renewable energy, Virginia Tech scientists are researching environmental consequences with respect to stormwater and the sediment and nutrients transported in runoff.
With a $3.4 million grant from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, researchers from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will lead a comprehensive six-year study to determine how utility-scale solar farms impact stormwater runoff and local soil and water quality throughout the state.
“Solar is probably going to be the No. 1 land use change that will occur over the next decade in many parts of Virginia, particularly in existing ...
Rare brain tumor responds to targeted tumor treatment with ‘unprecedented’ success
2023-07-12
Papillary craniopharyngiomas (PCPs) are a rare type of brain tumor that cause substantial morbidity for patients. While surgery and radiation are often used to treat PCPs, incomplete removal of the tumor and toxicity from radiation can leave patients with life-long health challenges after treatment, including neuroendocrine dysfunction or vision or memory loss. Investigators from the Mass General Cancer Center, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, led the first multicenter treatment protocol in this rare tumor. The study was based on laboratory discoveries by Mass General Brigham researchers who studied the genetic drivers of PCP growth, ...
Salinity changes threatening marine ecosystems, new UNF study shows
2023-07-12
A groundbreaking study published today reveals the critical yet severely understudied factor of salinity changes in ocean and coastlines caused by climate change. The study was co-authored by an international team of researchers, including Dr. Cliff Ross, University of North Florida biology chair/professor, and Dr. Stacey Trevathan-Tackett, UNF biology graduate program alum and research faculty member at Deakin University in Australia.
Changes in salinity, or salt content, due to climate change and land use can have potentially devastating impacts on vital coastal and estuarine ecosystems, yet this has rarely been studied until now. This new research provides valuable ...
Two UTA professors selected as Fulbright scholars
2023-07-12
Two University of Texas at Arlington faculty members have received Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Kevin Schug, Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, will travel to Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, continuing a decades-long relationship that began during his days as a graduate student.
Ling Xu, associate professor in the School of Social Work, will use the award to travel to Taiwan and embark on 10-month project to raise awareness about the ...
Daughters breastfed longer, and women accumulated greater wealth in ancient California matriarchal society
2023-07-12
In a new study, researchers and members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area are the first to publish evidence of wealth-driven patterns in maternal investment among ancient populations.
Ancestors of the Muwekma Ohlone living 2,000 years ago at Kalawwasa Rummeytak in present-day Silicon Valley in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, placed high value on women’s economic contributions to their communities, according to the study. Women stayed in the villages in which they were born, and their male partners moved from their birth communities to join their wives’ families. Women’s intimate knowledge of the local ecology and female ...
Food insecurity rate hits 17% for the second time in 18 months
2023-07-12
Food insecurity rate hits 17% for the second time in 18 months
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Reported food insecurity has reached 17%, matching the rate last reached in March 2022, according to the June Consumer Food Insights Report. The new report also includes consumer changes in food spending as a result of a hypothetical recession and sentiments on artificial intelligence.
The survey-based report out of Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainabilityassesses food spending, consumer satisfaction ...
Social isolation linked to lower brain volume
2023-07-12
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2023
MINNEAPOLIS – Older people who have little social contact with others may be more likely to have loss of overall brain volume, and in areas of the brain affected by dementia, than people with more frequent social contact, according to a study published in the July 12, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study does not prove that social isolation causes brain shrinkage; it only shows an association.
“Social isolation is a growing problem for older ...
Cetuximab's effectiveness and toxicity in advanced cutaneous squamous cell skin cancer
2023-07-12
“Our data demonstrate that cetuximab plus radiotherapy represents an active treatment option for laCSCC, with manageable toxicity.”
BUFFALO, NY- July 12, 2023 – A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on July 7, 2023, entitled, “Effectiveness and toxicity of cetuximab with concurrent RT in locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell skin cancer: a case series.”
Treatment for locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell cancers (laCSCC) remains poorly defined. Most laCSCC tumors express high levels of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR). Cetuximab has activity in other EGFR expressing cancers and enhances the effectiveness ...
Award of Excellence for Arlington’s unique rideshare program
2023-07-12
The University of Texas at Arlington received an Award of Excellence for Innovation from the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI).
The award was for the RAPID (Rideshare, Automation and Payment Integration Demonstration) program, a self-driving shuttle system for students and the general public that started in 2021. It was originally funded through the city of Arlington and a Federal Transit Administration grant, with additional support from the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Via Transportation Inc. and May Mobility also are partners in the program.
RAPID, the first program in the United States to integrate on-demand, ...
Study quantifies long term trends in childlessness and infertility treatment
2023-07-12
The incidence of primary involuntary childlessness, the rate of women seeking treatment for infertility, as well as the success rate of assisted reproductive technology all increased in birth cohorts studied from 1916 to 1975, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Finn Egil Skjeldestad of the Arctic University of Norway.
There have been tremendous advances in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) over the past 50 years. In the new study, Dr. Skjeldestad analyzed data on 11,064 women born between 1916 and 1975 ...