Cutting-edge technology used to search for signs of life on Mars is poised to revolutionise disease detection and monitoring, via research supported by the EPSRC InLightenUs project involving the Universities of Nottingham, Southampton, and Edinburgh.
This technology will be on show at the prestigious Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in the form of a replica Mars rover, singing bowls, AI image correction demonstrator, and a 'Rainbow Resonator'.
The singing bowls emit a hum when a mallet is run around their rim, in an acoustic portrayal of how vibrations behave. The Rainbow Resonator features balls that vibrate at different frequencies according to the colour of the light behind them, demonstrating how different molecules vibrate and scatter different colours.
The AI image correction demonstrator will show how we can use a technology called Adaptive Optics, originally developed to image stars through the atmosphere, to image through the body. Images will first appear blurred and unrecognisable, as if the object being imaged was deep in a human body. Visitors will be able to apply their own optical corrections to remove this blurring and reveal the object. The demonstrator will show how, with the use of AI, we are working to speed up the correction process making the technology suitable for the clinic.
The exhibit will also include mannequin patients from which 'biopsies' can be taken and assessed, using Dr Raman – a semi-automated microscope – to determine which tissues are healthy and which are diseased. Visitors will learn how Raman signals can be processed by AI algorithms to identify the key features of diseases.
The InLightenUs project has brought together an interdisciplinary team of scientists with a vision to develop unique treatment options and disease diagnoses approaches for the healthcare needs of 2050, aiming to replace and complement the current imaging technology used by healthcare professionals. At Nottingham, the team is made up of representatives from the Faculties of Engineering and Science.
At Nottingham, we are working towards this vision by using technology first developed for ground-based astronomy, where objects are viewed through the atmosphere, to produce high quality images through layers of tissue. We bring together engineers and computer scientists to speed up the processes involved, enabling solutions that are suitable for the clinic.
There are a total of nine exhibits at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, which typically attracts more than 13,000 visitors, which this year is taking place at the society's headquarters in central London from 4 to 9 July.
Applying optical corrections to an image is often a painstaking process that is currently only undertaken by specialists in a research setting. Our aim is to use AI to make this process automatic, which will save time and increase the use of these approaches by clinical professionals.
The InLightenUs interactive exhibit will demonstrate technology called Raman spectroscopy, which uses vibrations and light. It offers the potential of non-invasive detection and monitoring of diseases, such as cancers or osteoarthritis.
Sumeet Mahajan, Professor of Molecular BioPhotonics and Imaging at the University of Southampton, said: "NASA's rover Perseverance, which is looking for signs of life on Mars, uses Raman spectroscopy – the same technology that we are using to develop disease detection. NASA is looking for molecules that might have represented life, and we are looking for molecules in living patients to diagnose diseases.
Our ultimate vision is a walk-through arch, like an airport scanner, which would scan your body instantly to a 10cm depth for all different diseases, providing an immediate diagnosis. It wouldn't require biopsies or harmful radiation.
Professor Mark Bradley, Director of the InLightenUs project and based at the University of Edinburgh, said: "I am delighted that we are able to share the work and vision of our Interdisciplinary research team with the wider public. It shows the power of bringing together the disciplines to enable step changes in health technologies and their application and allowing and growing the next generation of early career researchers."
