SBIR Phase I: The Transformation of X-ray Detectors for Medical Imaging

SBIR第一阶段项目的重点是开发和演示一种新的高分辨率X射线探测器，用于（最初）医疗诊断。NGS探测器和合作者的早期工作表明，与目前使用的X射线探测器相比，分辨率提高了近10倍。第一阶段项目的重点是提高探测器的分辨率和效率（以减少患者接受的X射线剂量）。最初的诊断应用是乳房X线摄影，其中改进的分辨率预计可以在早期阶段准确诊断乳房中的可疑特征，同时减少被认为有问题的错误诊断（阳性和阴性）。该探测器在其他医疗诊断情况下具有潜在的应用，例如新生儿和心血管领域，其中更高的分辨率有望将X射线诊断的应用扩展到远远超出当前实践的范围。还设想了在半导体制造等领域的工业无损评价的应用。SBIR第一阶段项目的重点是开发和演示一种新的高分辨率X射线闪烁探测器。间接检测器利用劳伦斯利弗莫尔国家实验室为安全应用开发的一种新的聚合物稀释聚合物，并将该材料纳入光学通道板。光学通道板包含高质量毛细管（例如，10微米直径）的有序阵列。该聚合物吸收X射线，并发射光子，这些光子以最小的散射被引导到光学检测器的像素。10微米的分辨率已经被证明，这比目前在医疗诊断中使用的直接和间接检测器都提高了近一个数量级。第1阶段的重点是完成探测器表征，特别强调提高探测器效率，以最大限度地减少患者的X射线剂量率。第一阶段的成功完成将导致第二阶段，这表明更高的分辨率确实产生了更高的功能在现实的诊断情况下discrimination.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得的支持，通过评估使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

This SBIR Phase I project focuses on the development and demonstration of a new high resolution X-ray detector to be utilized (initially) in medical diagnosis. The early work by NGS Detectors and collaborators has shown an improvement in resolution by a factor of almost 10 over the X-ray detectors in current use. The focus of this Phase I project is to now improve both the resolution and efficiency of the detector (in order to reduce the x-ray dose received by patients). The initial diagnostic application is for mammography, where the improved resolution is expected to allow accurate diagnosis of suspicious features in the breast at an early stage, while reducing the false diagnoses (both positive and negative) that are recognized to be problematic. The detectors have potential application in other medical diagnostics situations, such as neonatal and cardiovascular fields, where the higher resolution is expected to extend the application of X-ray diagnostics well beyond current practice. Applications for industrial nondestructive evaluation in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing are also envisaged. This SBIR Phase I project focuses on the development and demonstration of a new high resolution X-ray scintillation detector. The indirect detector utilizes a new polymeric scintillating polymer developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories for security applications, and incorporates the material into an optical channel plate. The optical channel plate contains an ordered array of high quality capillaries (e.g. 10 micron diameter). The scintillating polymer absorbs X-rays, and emit photons that are channeled to pixels of an optical detector with minimal scattering. A resolution of 10 micron has already been demonstrated, an improvement of nearly an order of magnitude over both direct and indirect detectors in current use in medical diagnostics. The focus of Phase 1 is to complete the detector characterization, with a special emphasis on improving the detector efficiency in order to minimize X-ray dose rates for patients. The successful completion of Phase I will lead to a Phase II that demonstrates that the higher resolution indeed yields higher feature discrimination in realistic diagnostic situations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.