Awards

US Army Medical Research & Material Command (USAMRMC)
Breast Tumor Detection and Characterization
CONCEPT AWARD

J&W Medical investigated a new system concept for highly improved early diagnostic ultrasound detection and characterization of breast cancer. To date, there has been little progress in estimating volume, size and shape of breast tumors in a clinical environment, and in relating these identifiers to tissue pathology. The proposed system (based on US patent 6,585,647) will be capable of providing a clinically significant measure of the size, shape, volume and composition of breast tumors down to 1 mm in size. This represents a five-fold improvement over the lowest resolution achievable through current X-Ray mammogram techniques, and a three-fold improvement over current MRI capabilities -- neither of which currently provide lesion volumetric estimates or tissue characterization data.

This initial study was successful in detecting lesions in a tissue phantom as small as 2mm, with volumetric estimate that was 95% accurate.

National Science Foundation (NSF)
Multi-Modal Array
Phase I SBIR Award

J&W Medical investigated the feasibility of a multi-frequency transducer array, uniquely optimized for transmitting and receiving over the entire 1.75-7.0 MHz band. Currently, ultrasound imaging systems require multiple probes, to address the different frequency ranges required for different ultrasound exams. The proposed Multi-Modal Array (MMA) will be suitable for a wide range of tissue imaging studies, representing a significant advance for numerous clinical studies (such as cardiac, deep abdominal and peripheral vascular studies), and will significantly reduce costs and improve portability for end users – of particular interest in battlefield medicine.

The transducer developed in the Phase I research study was successful in detecting subharmonic, first harmonic and second harmonic spectral echoes over the 1.75-8.5 MHz (two-octave-plus) frequency bandwidth (-12 dB). 

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Scanning Acoustic Microscope (SAM)
Phase I SBIR Award

The ultra-high frequency scanning acoustic microscope (UHF SAM) will operate at a frequency of 3.2 GHz, which offers an in vivo resolution of less than 0.4 microns. This is several orders of magnitude better than anything commercially available for medical diagnostic and non-destructive testing applications. For the first time, in vivo acoustic microscopy will be capable of producing a resolution comparable to that of the optical microscope, which is currently treated by pathologists as industry standard. Each pixel of an acoustic C-Scan image will provide information about the absorption, elastic properties and density of tissue cells, which may improve the visualization and clinical assessment of cellular malignancy. The C-Scan image will be formed with a novel technique that utilizes a piezoelectric actuator for precise and reliable micro-stepping in a raster format for data acquisition and image presentation.

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Dermatological Scanning Acoustic Microscope (DSAM)
Phase I SBIR Award

The dermatological scanning acoustic microscope (DSAM) will operate in the very high frequency (VHF) range, over three octaves from 25 to 200 MHz. This covers the full range of acoustic dermatological imaging, including epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissues, and will provide a total high resolution imaging solution for detecting and screening dermatological cancer and environmentally induced diseases – with one instrument. DSAM will also provide a valuable measure of the extent of possible tissue damage, providing important information for surgical planning and potentially enhancing the effectiveness of post-surgical therapeutic treatment. Each pixel of an acoustic B-Scan or C-Scan image will provide information about the absorption, elastic properties and density of tissue cells, potentially improving the visualization and clinical assessment of cellular malignancy.