New Terahertz Technology Could Revolutionize Skin Cancer Detection

Researchers at the University of Exeter and University of Glasgow have developed a new terahertz imaging technique that could identify early-stage skin cancer without needing to administer a biopsy.

Existing terahertz technology utilizes low resolution imaging, and can usually only identify large tumors. This new terahertz imaging operates on a high-resolution scale of around nine microns, and can produce images three times faster than traditional systems. Researchers implemented a digital micromirror device that projects a pattern of 800nm light onto a silicon wafer, making the wafer dark to the terahertz light in the areas hit by the 800nm light. As the terahertz beam passes through the wafer, a patterned terahertz beam is produced on the opposite side of the wafer that interacts with the imaged object. This allows for a computer to create an image of the object “based on the detected terahertz light.”

On the electromagnetic spectrum, terahertz wavelengths range between microwaves and infrared light. This scope means that it’s safe for tissue. Terahertz light is more easily absorbed by skin cancer cells than healthy ones, making the technology ideal for telling apart cancerous and healthy tissue.

"This is the first experimental demonstration, for any spectral region, showing that compressed sensing and adaptive imaging can be performed at resolutions much smaller than the wavelength of light used for imaging," said the study leader, Rayko Stantchev, an imaging researcher at the University of Exeter. "Showing that this is physically possible will allow engineers and scientists to start to think about the full potential of this approach."