The development of instrumentation and X-ray analysis systems for the identification and characterisation of human tissue and other materials

本提案的当前目标是开发用于多种应用的x射线分析仪器。这项工作的主要组成部分将是设计和测试一种仪器，该仪器将提供对人体组织参数的定量估计，这些参数可用于描述组织样本的特征，并使用这些信息来帮助组织病理学家和外科医生的工作。组织病理学是诊断和病人管理之间的联系，涉及使用一个小的组织样本进行分析，以识别疾病的类型和程度。该程序的结果可能导致患者接受手术，以移除从中提取小样本的组织。外科手术的问题之一是能否检测被切除肿瘤的边缘，即患病组织和健康组织之间的边界。我们的设备将使外科医生能够测试这些边缘是否已经达到，从而改善手术结果。迄今为止，我们的工作主要是使用乳房和肝脏组织，但也将适用于子宫颈、前列腺、膀胱、结肠和肾脏。组织样本将通过记录x射线与组织相互作用产生的数据来进行分析，这些数据以x射线散射、组织内微量元素和微量元素的x射线荧光以及透射测量的形式出现。数据将结合在一个新的基于多元统计方法的分析程序。我们建议获取这些x射线信号的特征特征，开发实验方法以同时，快速和可靠地获取它们，并开发预测模型，以便对未知样本进行分类。该提案的最终结果将是设计一种适合在医院环境中使用的紧凑型仪器，该仪器有可能改善患者的术后结果并降低医疗保健费用。

The current aim of this proposal is to develop X-Ray analysis instrumentation for a number of applications. The main component of the work will be the design and testing of an instrument that will provide quantitative estimates on human tissue parameters that can be used to characterise a tissue sample and use this information to aid the work of both histopathologists and surgeons. Histopathology is the link between diagnosis and patient management and involves the use of a small tissue sample which is analysed in order to recognise the disease type and extent. The outcome of this procedure may lead to the patient undergoing surgery to remove the tissue from which the small sample was taken. One of the problems in surgery is the ability to detect the margins of the tumour being excised i.e. the border between diseased and healthy tissue. Our device will enable surgeons to test if these margins have been reached and hence improve the outcome of the operation. Our work to date has been undertaken using breast and liver tissue but will also be applicable to cervix, prostate, bladder, colon and kidney. The tissue samples will be analysed by recording data produced from the interactions of x-rays with the tissue in the form of x-ray scattering, x-ray fluorescence from trace and minor elements within the tissue as well as transmission measurements. The data will be combined in a novel analytical procedure based upon a multivariate statistical approach. We propose to obtain the characteristic features of these x-ray signals, develop the experimental methods to obtain them simultaneously, quickly and reliably, and to develop predictive models that will allow classification of an unknown sample. The final outcome of the proposal will be the design of a compact instrument suitable for use in the hospital environment that has the potential to improve postoperative outcomes for patients and reduce healthcare costs.