SBIR Phase II: X-ray Microscope for In-Vivo Biological Imaging

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目旨在开发一种亚微米X射线断层扫描仪，能够提供从小鼠到细菌的样本的体内和高分辨率图像。在这个分子医学的时代，疾病和发育障碍正在重新定义其特有的分子，遗传或细胞概况，有从组织学方法收集的信息和从传统的非侵入性成像方式获得的类型之间存在显着的差距。 该设备的分辨率优于这些成像模式，比目前的X射线成像系统高出十倍以上，将生成目前方法无法实现的发育和疾病图像。 第二阶段的研究将集中于X射线光学系统的开发，包括光束调节、断层成像能力和成像X射线透镜，并将产生一个桌面商业原型计算机断层成像仪，分辨率为400 nm。 该项目的商业应用将在医学研究领域。当与现有的体内成像技术相比时，所提出的X射线成像仪的更高分辨率将转化为与生长和疾病相关的形态变化的更高的灵敏度和特异性。 研究人员将能够使用这种工具来调查许多医疗条件，包括肿瘤血管生成，动脉粥样硬化，骨质疏松症和关节炎。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a sub-micron x-ray tomography scanner capable of providing in-vivo and high resolution images of specimens from mice to bacteria. In this era of molecular medicine, where disease and developmental disorders are being re-defined by their peculiar molecular, genetic or cellular profiles, there exists a significant disparity between the type of information gleaned from histological methods and that obtained from conventional non-invasive imaging modalities. With a resolution that is better than these imaging modalities and more than ten times higher than that of current x-ray imaging systems, the proposed device will generate images of development and disease not possible by current methods. The Phase II research will concentrate on the development of the x-ray optical system, including beam conditioning, tomographic imaging capability, and the imaging x-ray lens, and will result in a table-top commercial prototype computerized tomographic imager with 400 nm resolution. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of medical research. When compared to existing in-vivo imaging technologies, the higher resolution of the proposed x-ray imager will translate to improved sensitivity and specificity of morphologic changes associated with growth and disease. Researchers will be able to use this tool for investigations of a number of medical conditions, including tumor angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis and arthritis.