Scientists at The University of Manchester in the UK developed a camera that can take powerful three-dimensional color X-ray images, in near real-time, without the need for a synchrotron X-ray source. Its ability to identify the composition of the scanned object could radically improve medical imaging, as well as security, industrial inspection, and other uses.
The X-ray system developed by a team of researchers at the School of Materials can identify chemicals and compounds such as cocaine, semtex, precious metals, or radioactive materials. In healthcare, it can be used to detect abnormal tissue types from biopsy samples.
As well as providing more information about the object being X-rayed, this new technique also decreases the time it takes to create a three dimensional image. Rather than building up lots of separate images (mapping), the new system creates the image in one very simple scanning motion which now only takes several minutes.
This has implications for using the X-ray system for medical purposes. The fact that the image can be taken at the same time as using more conventional methods and on the same timescale means more information can be gathered from biopsy samples. This will more accurately differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue types reducing misdiagnoses.
