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Getting down to details
September 29, 2009Case Western Reserve University scientist builds imager that identifies, locates individual cancer cells
Cleveland--Dave Wilson was dissatisfied with blurry, low-sensitivity optical images of diseased tissues. So, four years ago he set out to create a better imager.
Now, Wilson, a professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, can identify a single cancer cell in preclinical imaging studies. And he can pinpoint exactly where the cell is located in a three-dimensional image.
Called cryo-imaging, the system enables Wilson and collaborators to identify single molecules, count the number of cells in an organ, compare a normal heart to an abnormal heart and more. The incredibly detailed images can show the effectiveness of different drug therapies, gene therapies and cellular therapies in preclinical testing, Wilson said.
The cryo-imaging system literally disassembles real tissue layer by layer then reassembles the details into a cyber model.
"You can't meet this resolution from outside the body," Wilson said.
In a paper published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Wilson and co-authors describe cryo-imaging and the extensive software they wrote to enable them to zero in on single cells.
The images are in color, which provides more detail than the gray scale used in other devices, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, he said.
In this specific model, the software assembled images of the internal organs, showing the location of individual metastatic cancer cells in the adrenal gland.
If you're only interested in the central nervous system, the vascular system or something less than a complete specimen, the imager has the capability of giving you exactly what you want, Wilson said. As the computer assembles the images, it sends text message updates to researchers.
James Basilion, an associate professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve, did not work on Wilson's imager but has seen the results.
"This device provides superb resolution and sensitivity to identify fluorogenic compounds or cells virtually anywhere within a specimen," Basilion said. "No longer do we need to 'guess' which cells are taking up agents from radiological biodistribution studies. We now can visualize them."
Wilson launched his research with a Third Frontier grant from the state of Ohio. As he made progress, he was funded with about $1.5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health. He has founded a start-up company, called BioInVision Inc., in Mayfield Village, Ohio, to commercialize the imaging system.
Case Western Reserve University
Called cryo-imaging, the system enables Wilson and collaborators to identify single molecules, count the number of cells in an organ, compare a normal heart to an abnormal heart and more. The incredibly detailed images can show the effectiveness of different drug therapies, gene therapies and cellular therapies in preclinical testing, Wilson said.
The cryo-imaging system literally disassembles real tissue layer by layer then reassembles the details into a cyber model.
"You can't meet this resolution from outside the body," Wilson said.
In a paper published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Wilson and co-authors describe cryo-imaging and the extensive software they wrote to enable them to zero in on single cells.
The images are in color, which provides more detail than the gray scale used in other devices, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, he said.
In this specific model, the software assembled images of the internal organs, showing the location of individual metastatic cancer cells in the adrenal gland.
If you're only interested in the central nervous system, the vascular system or something less than a complete specimen, the imager has the capability of giving you exactly what you want, Wilson said. As the computer assembles the images, it sends text message updates to researchers.
James Basilion, an associate professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve, did not work on Wilson's imager but has seen the results.
"This device provides superb resolution and sensitivity to identify fluorogenic compounds or cells virtually anywhere within a specimen," Basilion said. "No longer do we need to 'guess' which cells are taking up agents from radiological biodistribution studies. We now can visualize them."
Wilson launched his research with a Third Frontier grant from the state of Ohio. As he made progress, he was funded with about $1.5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health. He has founded a start-up company, called BioInVision Inc., in Mayfield Village, Ohio, to commercialize the imaging system.
Case Western Reserve University
Biomedical Engineering Current Events and Biomedical Engineering News RSSDrug studied as possible treatment for spinal injuries
Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed.
Bone Implant Offers Hope for Skull Deformities
A synthetic bone matrix offers hope for babies born with craniosynostosis, a condition that causes the plates in the skull to fuse too soon.
A Second Skin
Despite advances in treatment regimens and the best efforts of nurses and doctors, about 70% of all people with severe burns die from related infections.
Fat collections linked to decreased heart function
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that fat collection in different body locations, such as around the heart and the aorta and within the liver, are associated with certain decreased heart functions.
Tiny particles can deliver antioxidant enzyme to injured heart cells
Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed microscopic polymer beads that can deliver an antioxidant enzyme made naturally by the body into the heart.
Device enables world's first voluntary gorilla blood pressure reading
Zoo Atlanta recently became the first zoological institution in the world to obtain voluntary blood pressure readings from a gorilla.
Squeak, squeak -- can you hear me now?
What do you get when you cross a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing? Ironically, a new strain of mice with "golden ears" - mice that have outstanding hearing as they age.
Findings show nanomedicine promising for treating spinal cord injuries
Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident.
Researcher: 'Optical biopsy' for breast cancer increasingly accurate
But women may not have to endure the medical costs, stress and potential complications that accompany such invasive biopsies forever. A University of Florida biomedical engineering researcher is making progress on an "optical biopsy" that has the potential to determine whether growths are cancerous without ever puncturing the skin.
An exquisite container
In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or faceted gemstone that can be broken to empty the ring's contents. It is invariably enormous - so large it is rather odd nobody seems to notice it.
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