photoacoustic imaging

For years, the field of optical imaging in biological tissue had languished, with few advances and no significant growth. The concept was promising — using light to image organs, cells, and blood vessels, noninvasively and without any radiation — but it seemed impossible to obtain high-resolution images at any significant depth. Then came Lihong V. […]

Two scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are able to image subcutaneous melanoma tumors with startling clarity. Their imaging technique relies on sound rather than light because sound is less strongly scattered by tissues. In addition, the tumors are preloaded with a nanoparticle contrast agent that latches onto proteins that stud the surface of the cancerous cells.