Monday, 12 June 2023
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.”
Story credits
More information is available from Amanda Wright, Faculty of Engineering at the University Of Nottingham, at amanda.wright@nottingham.ac.uk or; Danielle Hall, Media Relations Manager at the University of Nottingham, at danielle.hall@nottingham.ac.uk or 0115 846 7156.
About the Faculty of Engineering
Made up of six departments – Architecture and Built Environment, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering and Foundation Engineering and Physical Sciences – the university’s Faculty of Engineering is home to more than 5,600 students and 800 staff.
The faculty, which has educated engineers and architects for more than 140 years, was the first in the country to be accredited with an Athena SWAN Gold Award for excellence in advancing gender equality across higher education and research and is home to multiple state-of-the-art facilities, including the recently opened £40m Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC).
With research at its heart, 21 research groups are undertaking pioneering projects for a sustainable future across several themes – including net zero transport, sustainable energies and the built environment, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare technologies – and has delivered a positive impact in more than 20 countries. Within those countries, the faculty’s research has supported 500 companies and three governments – that have changed their strategies as a result of its research – and has also directly created jobs for around 3,000 people across the world.
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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