PFI-TT: Affordable, Handheld Imaging Device for Skin Cancer Detection

该创新技术转化合作伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力包括开发皮肤成像设备，该设备解决了当前对负担得起的成像方法的临床需求，该成像方法以足够的分辨率对皮肤进行深度成像，同时提供正常，恶性和良性组织之间的大对比度。这样的设备将是皮肤科医生和皮肤外科医生的宝贵帮助，并显着提高皮肤癌检测和管理的现状。拟议的系统将被集成在一个单一的框架，从而在一个紧凑的（手持）和实时成像器在低制造成本。这将使所提出的技术在成本上与皮肤镜成像相当，从而促进其广泛使用和应用。皮肤科医生和皮肤外科医生将在活检或肿瘤切除前使用这种装置，以便于检测和切除肿瘤。研制出的手持式实时成像仪器产品具有巨大的商业价值和广泛的应用前景。医学成像行业将大大受益于这些集成程序和相关的成本降低。此外，所提出的方法可用于开发便携式成像和传感设备，用于广泛的应用，例如水合传感、血糖监测、愈合伤口监测等。（包括皮肤灼伤和刺激）和龋齿检测。拟议项目的重点是首次开发一个完全集成的超宽带毫米波成像系统，其中收发器的操作不需要高频或高功率外部信号。这将通过采用合成超宽带成像方法来实现，其中几个脱节的相邻成像子带被集成以共同形成超宽成像带宽。每个子带包含仅在该特定子带内操作的收发器。子波段收发器将使用单片微波集成电路（MMIC）技术集成在单个芯片上。与最先进的毫米波成像技术相比，拟议成像器的超宽带宽将导致显着更高的图像分辨率。这将使该技术能够应用于生物医学设置，特别是皮肤成像和皮肤癌检测。该提案的成果将是一种经济实惠的皮肤成像设备，该设备可以在皮肤深度上显示肿瘤轮廓，并具有类似组织病理学的对比度。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation-Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project includes the development of a skin imaging device which addresses the current clinical need for an affordable imaging methodology that images the skin over its depth with sufficient resolutions while offering large contrasts between normal, malignant, and benign tissues. Such a device will be an invaluable assistance to dermatologists and dermatologic surgeons and significantly enhance the current state of skin cancer detection and management. The proposed system will be integrated in a single framework, resulting in a compact (handheld) and real-time imager at a low manufacturing cost. This will make the proposed technology comparable in cost to dermoscopic imaging, facilitating its widespread use and application. Such a device will be used by dermatologists and dermatologic surgeons prior to biopsy or tumor excision, facilitating the detection and removal of tumors. The developed product of a hand-held, real-time imaging tool will have huge commercial value and widespread applications. The medical imaging industry will greatly benefit from these integration procedures and the associated cost reductions. Furthermore, the proposed method could be used to develop portable imaging and sensing devices for a wide range of applications such as hydration sensing, blood glucose monitoring, monitoring of healing wounds (including skin burns and irritations), and dental caries detection.The proposed project is focused on developing a fully-integrated ultra-wideband millimeter-wave imaging system for the first time, where no high-frequency or high-power external signal is required for the operation of the transceiver. This will be realized by employing the synthetic ultra-wideband imaging approach, where several disjointed, adjacent imaging sub-bands are integrated to collectively form an ultra-wide imaging bandwidth. Each sub-band contains a transceiver which operates only within that specific sub-band. The sub-band transceivers will be integrated on a single chip using the monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology. The ultra-wide bandwidth of the proposed imager will result in significantly higher image resolutions compared to the state-of-the-art millimeter-wave imaging technology. This will enable the technology to be applied to biomedical setups, in particular skin imaging and skin cancer detection. The outcome of this proposal will be an affordable skin imaging device that visualizes tumor profiles over the depth of the skin with large histopathological-like contrasts.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.