By 2050 there will be over 2 billion people  world wide aged over 60. Aging populations’ present new  health challenges such as muscle and bone loss, bone diseases and cancers as well as the associated reductions in quality of life.

Imagine a world where a patient can walk through a (revolving) door/arch way that allows a detailed 3D image to be generated, images so detailed that clinicians can use them to detect very early onset of disease. Using the power of light coupled with world-leading optical physics, fast computational methods and artificial intelligence to reconstruct high resolution images, we will deliver rapid, non invasive diagnostic technologies for the healthcare needs of the future.

InLightenUs - powered by light & curiosity

Launch of the new EPSRC InLightenUs Project

EPSRC InLightenUs is a new and exciting medical imaging project that brings together an interdisciplinary team of scientists to develop unique treatment options for the healthcare needs of 2050.

The project has received funding of £5.5 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to lead the project over the next 5 years. The project will build a team of 40 researchers (including early career researchers and PhD’s) and brings together groups from across the University of Edinburgh (in Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine), with teams from the Universities of Nottingham and Southampton.  

The research will look to develop hand-held devices that can be used in GP Surgeries and on hospital wards which enable doctors and nurses to see inside a patient’s body and provide fast diagnoses and considerable savings for the NHS.

EPSRC InLightenUs aims to replace the current imaging technology used by healthcare professionals which can provide diagnoses of disease but also come with limitations. MRI Scans provide detailed imagery for diagnosis but are expensive and require a contrast agent to be injected into the patient’s body which can be toxic. X-Rays are also a powerful diagnosis tool but can be dangerous and only show bones, whilst ultrasound is non-invasive but does not provide high resolution images.

Far-red ‘invisible’ light has the potential to provide clearer diagnostic information fast, and is benign so does not have any of the damaging effects of other technologies. Current diagnostic light microscopy technology can only penetrate 1mm beneath a patient’s skin. The team are looking to develop lasers that can go to 5mm, deep enough to diagnose melanomas, and then to 10s of mm which would allow healthcare workers to look at joints and bones, improving diagnosis for diseases such cancer and osteoarthritis.

By harnessing world-leading optical physics, cutting edge detector technology and artificial intelligence the project will allow affordable, non invasive early detection of disease that will significantly enhance the quality of life of an aging UK population.

Osteoarthritic knees. Credit: stockdevil/123RF Stock Photo.