The Hidden World of Imaging

Ultrasound is a well-known way to image the foetus before birth and for many other medical diagnoses. However, the precision of the images is limited by the way imaging is done, generally from outside the body or through its natural openings. This makes microultrasound, the creation of images at the microscale, impossible so engineers are now studying new ways to combine ultrasound with other technology to gain better access to the body. This talk will explain what might lie in the future for microultrasound imaging inside the body, in the brain and in the digestive system.

What does Alexander G. Bell, earthquakes and time reversal have in common and what does any of this have to do with imaging the sound of light? Ultrasonic imaging has given us the power to “see” inside optically opaque materials and has had an undeniable impact in applications ranging from medical imaging, to sonars, to non-destructive testing. The question is: can we make ultrasound using light and why would this be useful? The answer is “yes” and there are some unique advantages while doing so. Find out what we can do with light and sound, challenges we face and our goals for the future.

It has long been argued by poets, ancient Egyptians and cardiologists that the heart is the most important organ. They're probably right - cardiovascular-related diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. To improve diagnosis and treatment of such diseases, we need to understand the healthy heart. One way to study hearts is to use animal models, such as zebrafish; but how do you record information about the living, beating heart? Find out about recent work from the Imaging Concepts Group that has provided a solution - enabling us to see biology never before seen.