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August/September 2006Welcome to your latest issue of BIOMEDICAL OPTICS UPDATE , the monthly report for the clients of Optimum Technologies, Inc. Please feel free to pass this issue along to interested colleagues or let us know if you have colleagues who would like to be added to our mailing list. Written by Andrea Pierce, Ph.D. In this issue: • Nebraska Researchers Develop A Robotic Touch That Glows • Photonic “Petri Dish” Developed At UCAL San Diego • U Penn Device Uses Optical Scans To Illuminate Breast Tumors • Rice Scientists Make First Nanoscale pH Meter • Optical Patent Application Of Note Nebraska Researchers Develop A Robotic Touch That Glows Ravi Saraf of the University of Nebraska has developed a robotic-like touch sensor that is both pliable and durable. Saraf’s sensor is constructed of thin film around 100 nm thick, and resembles a sandwich of alternating layers of gold and cadmium suphide particles, separated by polymer sheets 3 nm thick. For functionality as a touch sensor, the device is connected to electrodes that allow a current to flow through the film. When unit is pressed onto a surface as a “touch”, the stress distorts the sandwich causing electrons to hit the cadmium particles, eliciting a glow. The greater the stress, the more light is emitted, which is then captured by a camera. To date, the sensor can detect small surface details with sensitivity of 9 kilopascals, similar to that used by human fingers to feel and pick up objects. Details may be found on the Nature website. Nature.com Photonic “Petri Dish” Developed At UCAL San Diego Assessment of a new drug’s toxicity may be easier now, according to Michael Sailor of UCAL San Diego. His group has made a “smart” Petri dish using silicon crystals with nm-sized holes capable of controlling light. Rat liver cells were attached to the polystyrene within the crystals. Each cell was contained in a mini-well, 2 to 1500 nm in diameter that allowed the flow of nutrients and chemicals through the cell culture and filtered out bacteria and viruses, functionally similar to a liver. As the cells were exposed to toxic doses of acetaminophen, Sailor was able to detect changes in cellular shape using a light scattering technique. As liver cells shriveled up when exposed to toxins, they scattered light better, which allowed screening for adverse drug-drug interactions quickly, according to Sailor. Find out more about it in this link to the Medical News Today website. Medical News Today.com U Penn Device Uses Optical Scans To Illuminate Breast Tumors U Penn researcher Britton Chance has developed the first hand-held optical scanner for early breast cancer detection. Unit is a small box (10x10 cm) with an internal circuit of two LEDs and a diode, amplifiers, and a microchip. Using NIR radiation, the device is scanned over breast tissue, where presence of a tumor is confirmed via its increase in light absorbance due to proliferation of blood vessels. The scanner also has the option to be interfaced with an audio device to emit a loud beep when it senses a tumor area in the breast. Scanning information is downloadable to be saved on a chip for subsequent analysis. Learn more from the Science Daily website. Science Daily Rice Scientists Make First Nanoscale pH Meter Naomi Halas of Rice University has developed a unique method to measure pH using nanoshells optically formulated nanoparticles. Composed of a shell of non-conducting silica covered by a thin shell of gold, the nanoshells can be directed to absorb or scatter specific light colors. Specifically to sense pH, Halas coated the nanoshells with pMBA, a pH-sensitive benzoic acid that is sensitive to the pH of the environment surrounding the nanoshell to an average accuracy of 0.1 pH units. Halas predicts the device to be useful in determination of the malignancy of a cancer tumor without having to perform traditional biopsy. Technical details of the sensor are found in this year’s July 3rd issue of Nano Letters and a summary is found here: Medical News Today.com Optical Patent Application Of Note US # 20060190006 describes a small bowel endoscope of ileus tube type that enables laser inspection and therapy. Invented by Kiyoshi Oka of Japan, this endoscope is used to treat patients suffering from ileus (intestinal obstruction), and has an ileus treating tube, and a composite optical fiber for detection and diagnosis. USPTO Venture Forum Events The first WPI Venture Forum meeting of the season will be held on Sept 12. The keynote topic is "What’s Right - And Wrong – with Massachusetts Business?” presented by Boston Business Journal publisher Michael G. Olivieri. The evening’s case will be presented by Richard Burtt, CEO & President of Nomir Medical Technologies, Inc., a startup company developing novel laser systems for the treatment of toe fungus and other medical conditions. Registration begins at 6 p.m., at the Campus Center, Odeum Room at WPI. WPI Venture Forum
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