Reflectus
Sergio Sanabria & Laetitia Gabernet
Reliable breast cancer diagnosis without radiation or discomfort
A radiation-free and painless ultrasound method instead of a mammogram is how Orçun Göksel and Sergio Sanabria would like breast cancer screens to be carried out in the future.
The novel ultrasonic measurement can be used to diagnose various tissue changes, in particular to detect tumours. Until now, many tumours could not be seen in an ultrasound. Instead of the standard practice of measuring the backscattering of sound, the new method measures the time taken by an ultrasound wave: the stiffer the tissue, which is the case with tumours, the faster the sound wave passes through the tissue. To do this, the researchers developed their own probe head together with an image processing programme. Patient trials are currently being carried out in collaboration with University Hospital Zurich. If all goes as hoped, the two researchers will either found a start-up or search for a partner to license the technology.