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

这项提议的当前目标是为许多应用开发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，该仪器将提供对可用于表征组织样本的人体组织参数的定量估计，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治疗之间的纽带，涉及到使用小组织样本进行分析，以便识别疾病的类型和程度。这一过程的结果可能会导致患者接受手术，移除从其中提取小样本的组织。外科手术中的一个问题是能否检测到被切除的肿瘤的边缘，即病变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是否达到了这些边缘，从而改善了手术结果。到目前为止，我们的工作是使用乳房和肝脏组织进行的，但也将适用于宫颈、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进行分析，这些数据包括X射线散射、组织内痕量和次要元素的X射线荧光以及透射率测量。这些数据将在一种基于多变量统计方法的新分析程序中进行组合。我们建议获得这些X射线信号的特征特征，发展实验方法以同时、快速和可靠地获得它们，并开发能够对未知样本进行分类的预测模型。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器械，该器械有可能改善患者的术后结果，并降低医疗成本。

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.