Nanotechnology continues to be on a booming upswing in the medical field. Nanotechnologies, however, have drawbacks because it is more difficult to achieve effective imaging. A way to address that has been the incorporation of quantum dots and by using enhanced optical filters in the nanotech field. Quantum dots and specialized optical filters allow for specific biological agents to be tagged and makes them more readily available to the medical technician.
Quantum dot and optical filters allow the technician to filter the results and differentiate between a healthy cell and a malignant cell. These two technologies have been effective in allowing medical professionals to isolate Hodgkin’s lymphoma cells. While these cells are typically deemed “easy to identify” they are typically surrounded by healthy white blood cells or embedded in healthy tissue and that can make isolation and detection tricky.
Spectroscopy is a technology that allows radiologists to quantify the “interaction between light energy and matter.” This new technique is a marked difference from other spectroscopy techniques in that typically it will include x-ray, visible, ultraviolet, fluorescence and absorption rates. Fluorescent spectroscopy will “excite” cells or the area being sampled. With the inclusion of the quantum dot, the area is targeted and the dot emits a low level of energy that helps pinpoint the spectrometer. Differentiating between healthy and cancerous cells is the specialty of spectroscopy.
When radiologists utilize fluorescent imaging filters and spectroscopy and include quantum dot technology, they are increasing the image and its stability by up to 100 times. The dots, used in conjunction with the fluorescence, emit higher energy with minimal risk of illumination “photo-bleaching” which can skew patient results.
Patients won’t typically know which type of equipment their radiologist is utilizing but in many medical settings, the newer technologies are being launched to enhance patient care. Universe Optics is a manufacturer of medical imaging lens assemblies that include a standard offering of the most desired relay, 3 CCD relay, mounted and bare achromatic lenses.
Applications Include: Endoscope Couplers, Fiber Scope Couplers, Diagnostic Camera Hand Pieces, And Medical X-Ray Scanning.