SBIR Phase I: NARROW-BEAM DEDICATED BREAST COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

SBIR 第一阶段：窄束专用乳腺计算机断层扫描

基本信息

批准号：
2014351
负责人：
Peymon Ghazi
金额：
$ 22.5万
依托单位：
MALCOVA LLC
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-05-15 至 2021-07-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2014351&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
SBIR Phase NARROW BEAM DEDICATED

项目摘要

This broader impact/commercial potential of this SBIR Phase I project is to improve detection and diagnosis of cancer in women with dense breasts, a significant fraction of the 40 million women screened annually. Women with dense breasts are at greater risk for low cancer detection and overdiagnosis of disease. This risk arises from limitations in the x-ray imaging techniques currently available to them: mammography, tomosynthesis and breast CT. The proposed technology utilizes the benefits of CT imaging science - advantageous over mammography and tomosynthesis - while incorporating innovations in CT image acquisition. The technology will deliver high quality three-dimensional images of the breast providing high visibility of microcalcifications (small traces of cancer) at radiation levels on par with existing breast cancer screening standards. This technology has the potential to reduce the financial burdens of misdiagnosis without introducing new risks to the patient. The proposed project initiates development of a new form of tomographic breast imaging, built upon the discovery that scatter-free x-ray images result in improved visibility of small microcalcifications. The proposed design overcomes limitations of mammography and tomosynthesis - primarily the masking of cancer by healthy tissue - and limitations of existing breast CT that include poor microcalcification visibility, limited posterior breast anatomy coverage, and inadequate image quality at screening dose levels. The proposed CT design minimizes dose exposure to the patient and delivers acquired raw data that are near scatter-free. These improvements result in higher quality images with greater microcalcification visibility. The overarching objective of this SBIR Phase 1 project is to build a prototype for improved study and simulation. In the first stage of prototype development, a collimator and shielding apparatus will be implemented to control scatter and dose. In the second stage, this apparatus will be incorporated into an existing, functional breast CT scanner. Performance objectives include a reduction in radiation dose to an average-sized breast by as much as 30% over existing methods, achievement of near scatter-free image acquisition, and improved visibility of small microcalcifications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该SBIR I期项目的这种更广泛的影响/商业潜力是改善乳房密集的女性对癌症的检测和诊断，在每年进行筛查的4000万妇女中，很大一部分。乳房密集的妇女患癌症检测低和疾病过度诊断的风险更大。这种风险源于目前可用的X射线成像技术的局限性：乳房X线摄影，间歇合成和乳房CT。拟议的技术利用CT成像科学的好处 - 优于乳房X线摄影和间歇合成 - 同时将创新纳入CT图像获取。该技术将提供高质量的三维乳房图像，以与现有的乳腺癌筛查标准相等，在辐射水平上可提供微钙化（较小的癌症）。这项技术有可能减轻误诊的财务负担，而无需向患者带来新的风险。拟议的项目启动了一种新形式的层析成像乳房成像的开发，这是基于发现无散射X射线图像的发现，从而提高了小微钙化的可见性。拟议的设计克服了乳房X线摄影和断层合成的局限性 - 主要是通过健康组织掩盖癌症 - 以及现有乳腺CT的局限性，包括微钙化可见性不佳，后乳房解剖结构效果有限以及筛查剂量水平时的图像质量不足。提出的CT设计最大程度地减少了对患者的剂量暴露，并提供了几乎无分散的原始数据。这些改进导致更高质量的图像具有更大的微瓦化可见性。该SBIR 1阶段项目的总体目标是建立一个原型，以改进研究和模拟。在原型开发的第一阶段，将实施准直仪和屏蔽设备来控制散射和剂量。在第二阶段，该设备将纳入现有的功能性乳房CT扫描仪中。绩效目标包括将辐射剂量减少到平均大小的乳房中，高达30％，超过现有方法，实现近乎分散的图像获取以及提高小型微钙化的可见性。这项奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用该基金会的知识优点和广泛的范围来评估NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得的。