Posted: Apr 12, 2018 |
Tiny probe can see and take body temperatures
(Nanowerk News) University of Adelaide researchers have invented a world-first tiny fibre-optic probe that can simultaneously measure temperature and see deep inside the body (Optics Letters, "Miniaturized single-fiber-based needle probe for combined imaging and sensing in deep tissue").
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The probe may help researchers find better treatments to prevent drug-induced overheating of the brain, and potentially refine thermal treatment for cancers.
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“With an outer diameter of only 130 microns, the probe is as thin as a single strand of human hair,” says Dr Jiawen Li, a researcher with the Adelaide Medical School, ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Biophotonics (CNBP) and the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) at the University of Adelaide.
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“This means it can be delivered deep inside the body in a minimally invasive way. It also allows us to see and record physiological data in real time that we weren’t able to access before.”
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The miniaturised imaging and sensing probe has been developed to help study drug-induced hyperthermia.
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“Using some drugs such as ecstasy can make certain brain regions overheat and then become damaged,” Dr Li says.
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“Using the probe’s imaging function during experiments, our medical collaborators would be able to see deep inside the brain of a living organism and guide the placement of the probe to the right brain region.”
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“Then, they can use the probe’s built-in thermometer to monitor any changes to the local temperature of that region.”
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This will allow researchers to: better understand how hyperthermia develops; test new medical treatments; or investigate the toxicology impacts of drug-taking.
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The probe also has potential to provide insights into other diseases and treatments in other parts of the body, such as optimising thermal treatment of cancers.
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While the first generation of the probe can both take images and measure temperature, Dr Li hopes future generations will take other measurements as well – such as pH values, oxygen saturation and accumulation of fat in arteries.
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“This research is an example of the inspiring transdisciplinary culture nurtured at IPAS and CNBP to enable new tools not possible within a single discipline,” says Professor Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, the Deputy Director of IPAS.
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“IPAS and CNBP has world-class expertise in photonics, and Adelaide has a large number of medical researchers that allows us to explore new ways to use light-based technologies,” says Professor Robert McLaughlin, Chair of Biophotonics at the University of Adelaide.
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“It makes South Australia an exciting place to explore the overlap of technology and medicine.”
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