Scientist Builds Imager That Identifies

Scientist Builds Imager That Identifies, Locates Individual Cancer Cells
ScienceDaily (Oct. 4, 2009) — 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.

Surgical Hand Table

The needs of the "hand surgeon" have not been previously addressed specifically. When operating on an extremity, the patient's arm is placed at right angles to the body and supported on a "surgical hand table". It appears, from the critical review and testing of several designs, that the currently available tables have not been designed or manufactured from the surgeon's perspective. Many innovative features are available on current tables, but none is to the satisfaction of the consultants polled.

Specifically, these tables require minimal obstruction to access of the patient by the surgeon, surgical assistants, and related equipment such as radiographic machinery. The table must be light-weight, have easy storage capabilities, and be radiolucent (allow taking of x-rays through the table itself). It must be stable for use in microsurgical procedures where any movement or vibration can hinder the procedure. Yet it must be height adjustable and easily maneuverable to maximize versatility.

In short, a Surgical Hand Table must be "user friendly".

The table currently under refinement by NewMedical meets all these demands. A unique, lightweight polypropylene top has been integrated with rigid stainless steel fasteners. The monolimb construction using a solid locking gas shock with infinite adjustment capabilities has been incorporated with a lightweight aluminum, anodized platform.

Importantly, development costs and prototype costs have been economized with a resultant product that can be competitively priced, but still out-perform the competition in most categories. Clinically testing is on-going.