Listening for cancer
MU researcher uses sound to detect disease
The American Cancer Society estimates more than 60,000 new cases of melanoma for 2006. For people with this potentially deadly skin cancer, the key to survival is accurate diagnosis for optimal treatment. That’s why John Viator works on a promising diagnostic tool; he listens for cancer.
Viator, an assistant professor of biological engineering in the Bond Life Sciences Center, works with photoacoustics. In this technique, he analyzes blood samples using ultrasound to detect the unique sounds melanoma cells create when they absorb laser light.
For doctors and patients, the potential upside to this technique is speed. “They can test [patients’] blood immediately, quickly and reliably,” Viator says.
Watch a video about Viator’s work here. (Windows Media Video)