Longevity science

Physicians may soon have a new way to screen patients for Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition usually caused by chronic exposure to stomach acid. Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed an imaging system enclosed in a capsule about the size of a multivitamin pill that creates detailed, microscopic images of the esophageal wall.

The system has several advantages over traditional endoscopy.

GE Healthcare has introduced a new data acquisition technology designed to improve patient comfort by largely eliminating the horrible noise generated during an MRI scan. Conventional MRI scanners can generate noise levels in excess of 110 dBA (creating a din that sounds like a cross between a vehicle's reverse warning horn and a Star Trek phaser) but GE says its new Silent Scan MRI technology can reduce this to just above background noise levels in the exam room.

The noise that MRI scanners produce is related to changes in the magnetic field that allow the slice by slice body scan to be carried out. In recent years, industry efforts to speed up the scanning process have also resulted in louder and louder scans. The designers have attempted to dampen these noises with mufflers and baffles, achieving only limited success.

A magnetic capsule robot may replace endoscopy thanks to work being done at Carnegie Mellon University's Nanorobotics lab.

The lab has received funding to develop a squishy robotic capsule that can be controlled while inside the body. The capsule could replace invasive endoscopes by performing camera imaging, drug injection, tissue sampling, and more.

FDA-approved pill cameras have been in use since 2001, but they can only perform imaging, and move through the body naturally. Robotic devices would have the ability to to stop, back up, deliver drugs, or perform biopsies.

Newly-developed nanoparticles are able to emit light through up to three centimeters of biological tissue.

Scientists have developed photoluminescent nanoparticles that are able to shine through over three centimeters (1.2 inches) of biological tissue. If attached to anomalies deep beneath the skin, the nanoparticles could allow those anomalies to be seen more clearly from the outside.

While we’ve seen developments that could see T-ray spectrometers featuring in a future handheld tricorder-like device, good ol’ X-rays could also get a guernsey thanks to an engineering team from the University of Missouri. The team has invented an accelerator about the size of a stick of gum that can create X-rays and other forms of radiation, opening up the possibility of cheap and portable X-ray scanners.

Scientists say they have found a way to distinguish between different types of dementia without the need for invasive tests, like a lumbar puncture.

US experts could accurately identify Alzheimer's disease and another type of dementia from structural brain patterns on medical scans, Neurology reports.

Currently, doctors can struggle to diagnose dementia, meaning the most appropriate treatment may be delayed.

More invasive tests can help, but are unpleasant for the patient.

Engineers have developed a hand-held scanning device that provides real-time three-dimensional images of the insides of patients’ bodies.

The scanner utilizes optical coherence tomography (OCT), which has been described as “optical ultrasound,” in that it uses reflected light – as opposed to reflected sound – to image internal structures.

This snapshot is the result of using an Imagejs module to determine how fast brain cancer cells are growing.

A University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) team has developed ImageJS, a free app system that analyzes tissue images.

ImageJS is the first in a serie