Breast screening with microwave pulses

微波脉冲乳房筛查

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-06169
• 负责人: Popovich, Milica
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=567636
• 关键词: Breast; screening; microwave; pulses

OBJECTIVES: This Discovery Grant program proposes development of a low-power pulsed microwave device for breast tissue screening, including design, implementation and testing on patient volunteers. The device will complement existing clinical measurements rather than replace them; the proposed system is intended for regular screening as a tool for monitoring changes and significant departures from a healthy baseline. SCIENTIFIC APPROACH: The primary goal of the program is to develop and test a prototype of a bra-like detection device that incorporates a networked array of microwave sensors which can be used regularly by women at home or in small family clinics. Recent research suggests that low-power microwaves can detect small, early-stage tumors by exploiting the electrical contrast between malign tumors and healthy breast tissue in the microwave frequency range (100MHz – 10GHz). If a tumor is present, then part of an incident electromagnetic wave, launched into the tissue, scatters. The microwave propagation loss in the fatty tissue of the breast is sufficiently low to allow for this scatter to be detectable by receiving antennas on the skin surface. The antenna elements are inexpensive and small, so they can be woven into the fabric of a bra, a structure that is familiar, comfortable and simple to use. Acquired signals will be processed with sophisticated algorithms, yielding results that can alert the physician to potential abnormalities. METHODOLOGY: Several clearly identified components of the proposed prototype will be examined concurrently. 1. Antenna design and layout. The antenna-sensors need to be small, inexpensive and printed on a flexible substrate. In addition to targeting favorable characteristics of individual antennas, the number of sensors, as well as their relative layout will be optimized within spatial and hardware constraints. The substrate and the medium which couples the breast to the antennas need to be chosen in accordance with average electrical properties of the breast tissue. These challenges will be addressed through thorough simulation, fabrication and testing. 2. Microwave pulse generation. The signals fed to the transmitting antennas will be custom-shaped for selection of the frequency range of interest, as well as optimal usage of antenna capabilities. 3. The switching mechanism. Antenna elements act as transmitters one at a time, while the rest of the network operates in the receiving mode. Each scan involves a set of sequential measurements as the antennas take turns in their transmitting and receiving roles. This task includes careful consideration of circuit connections which will minimize signal loss and maintain signal integrity. 4. Sequential anomaly detection. In collaboration with experts in the signal-processing field, sophisticated algorithms will be developed to detect any abnormalities and significant changes. Regular feedback will be collected from medical experts to assess the range of changes which correspond to normal tissue changes due to hormonal cycles. The algorithms will be tested on synthetic signals (obtained through electromagnetic simulation with comprehensive MRI-derived human breast models) as well as on signals measured with realistic breast phantoms and volunteers. 5. Overall system design for patient comfort. This includes investigations of overall patient position (standing or prone), softness of materials in contact with skin, and minimizing the scan time. CONTRIBUTION TO TRAINING HIGHLY-QUALIFIED PERSONNEL: The multi-disciplinary nature of our program allows it to be a training platform for experts in a range of areas applied to a healthcare-centered problem: electromagnetic simulation analysis, antenna design, microwave engineering and signal processing.

目的：本发现资助项目建议开发用于乳腺组织筛查的低功率脉冲微波装置，包括设计、实施和对患者志愿者的测试。该设备将补充现有的临床测量，而不是取代它们；拟议的系统旨在定期筛查，作为监测变化和明显偏离健康基线的工具。科学方法：该项目的主要目标是开发和测试一种类似胸罩的检测设备的原型，该设备包含一个联网的微波传感器阵列，可以供妇女在家中或小型家庭诊所定期使用。最近的研究表明，低功率微波可以通过利用恶性肿瘤和健康乳腺组织在微波频率范围（100MHz - 10GHz）内的电对比来检测小的早期肿瘤。如果肿瘤存在，那么入射电磁波的一部分，发射到组织中，散射。乳房脂肪组织中的微波传播损耗足够低，可以通过皮肤表面的接收天线检测到这种散射。天线元件既便宜又小巧，因此可以编织到胸罩的织物中，这是一种熟悉、舒适且使用简单的结构。获取的信号将用复杂的算法进行处理，产生的结果可以提醒医生注意潜在的异常。方法：几个明确确定的建议原型组件将同时进行检查。1. 天线的设计和布局。这种天线传感器需要体积小，价格便宜，并且印刷在柔性基板上。除了针对单个天线的有利特性外，传感器的数量及其相对布局将在空间和硬件约束下进行优化。将乳房与天线耦合的基板和介质需要根据乳房组织的平均电性能来选择。这些挑战将通过彻底的模拟、制造和测试来解决。2. 微波脉冲产生。馈送到发射天线的信号将定制形状，以选择感兴趣的频率范围，以及天线能力的最佳使用。3. 切换机制。天线单元每次一个充当发射器，而网络的其余部分则以接收模式运行。每次扫描都包括一组连续的测量，因为天线轮流扮演发射和接收的角色。这项任务包括仔细考虑电路连接，以尽量减少信号损失并保持信号完整性。4. 顺序异常检测。与信号处理领域的专家合作，将开发复杂的算法来检测任何异常和重大变化。将定期收集医学专家的反馈意见，以评估与激素周期引起的正常组织变化相对应的变化范围。这些算法将在合成信号（通过综合核磁共振衍生的人类乳房模型的电磁模拟获得）以及用真实乳房模型和志愿者测量的信号上进行测试。5. 整体系统设计为患者舒适。这包括调查患者的整体体位（站立或俯卧），材料与皮肤接触的柔软度，并尽量减少扫描时间。对培养高素质人才的贡献：我们计划的多学科性质使其成为应用于医疗保健中心问题的一系列领域的专家的培训平台：电磁仿真分析，天线设计，微波工程和信号处理。