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The wrist and wristwatch of Phil Butler, seen by the MARS scanner.
MARS Bioimaging
The familiar black-and-white radiograph may soon be replaced by detailed 3D color scanners that show everything from fat and bone to metal and soft tissue.
Phil and Anthony Butler, a father and son scientist team in New Zealand, created the spectral X-ray scanner MARS by adapting the technology used at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). CERN is famous for chasing the Higgs boson also known as the "God particle", with the particle accelerator of the Large Hadron Collider
. , showing fat, water, calcium and disease markers. The scans look like detailed 3D anatomical sections with the skin peeled off.
The MARS scanner produced this view of Phil Butler's ankle.
MARS Bioimaging
"Until now, researchers used a small version of the MARS scanner to study cancer, bone and joint health, and vascular diseases responsible for heart attacks and strokes", Anthony Butler, a radiologist at the Universities of Otago and Canterbury, said in a press release.
The MARS scanner incorporates Medipix chip technology developed at CERN. "The original concept of Medipix is that it works like a camera, detecting and counting every particle hitting the pixels when its electronic shutter is open," said CERN in a statement. This technology translates into "high resolution, high contrast, and highly reliable images," making it ideal for medical imaging.
MARS Bioimaging markets the scanner. Phil Butler became the first person to be scanned with MARS, producing revealing images of his ankle and wrist. MARS Bioimaging is now going to clinical trials with patients of orthopedic and rheumatologic patients.
Anthony Butler says that the MARS scanner will allow a more accurate diagnosis of medical conditions ranging from cancer to arthritis and will allow more personalized treatment plans.
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