Elsevier

Photoacoustics

Volume 23, September 2021, 100290
Photoacoustics

A photoacoustic finder fully integrated with a solid-state dye laser and transparent ultrasound transducer

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2021.100290Get rights and content
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Abstract

The standard-of-care for evaluating lymph node status in breast cancers and melanoma metastasis is sentinel lymph node (SLN) assessment performed with a handheld gamma probe and radioisotopes. However, this method inevitably exposes patients and physicians to radiation, and the special facilities required limit its accessibility. Here, we demonstrate a non-ionizing, cost-effective, handheld photoacoustic finder (PAF) fully integrated with a solid-state dye laser and transparent ultrasound transducer (TUT). The solid-state dye laser handpiece is coaxially aligned with the spherically focused TUT. The integrated finder readily detected photoacoustic signals from a tube filled with methylene blue (MB) beneath a 22 mm thick layer of chicken tissue. In live animals, we also photoacoustically detected both SLNs injected with MB and subcutaneously injected melanomas. We believe that our radiation-free and inexpensive PAF can play a vital role in SLN assessment.

Keywords

Photoacoustic sensing
Transparent ultrasound transducer
Solid-state dye laser
Melanoma
Sentinel lymph node

Cited by (0)

Dr. Byullee Park received his Ph.D. degree in Creative IT Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Republic of Korea from 2015 to 2020. He is currently undertaking a post-doctoral researcher training course at POSTECH (2021∼). His research interests are the development of novel biomedical imaging techniques including sub-wavelength photoacoustic microscopy and clinical photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging.

Moongyu Han is an MS-PhD candidate in the Creative IT Engineering Department at POSTECH (2020∼). He completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Ajou University in 2017. His research interests include super resolution microscopy and the application of photoacoustic imaging.

Mr. Jeongwoo Park is a Ph.D. candidate in School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Republic of Korea (2017∼). He completed his B.S. degree in Electronics Engineering at Kyungpook National University at 2016. His research interests are the development of a transparent ultrasound transducer that applied to photoacoustic and multi-modal imaging, ranging from preclinical to clinical use.

Mr. Taejeong Kim received his bachelor’s degree from the Department of Bionano Engineering, Hanyang University. He joined Prof. Won Jong Kim’s group at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) from 2017. His research is focusing on the nitric oxide-delivery and nitric oxide-scavenging using polymer-based hybrid materials.

Han Young Ryu received the Ph. D. degree in physics from the Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea, in 2006. Since 2006, he was worked as a Senior Researcher in the Division of Physical Metrology, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon, Korea. Since 2011, he is working as a Principle Research Engineer in the WonTech Company. His current research interests include fiber laser, mode-locked fiber laser, nonlinear fiber optics, optical fiber comb generator. Dr. Ryu is a Member of the Optical Society of Korea, Korean Physical Society.

Young-Seok Seo is currently the Director of R&D center of WON TECH Co., Ltd. Daejeon, Korea, working on medical laser devices research and development. He obtained a joint Ph.D. degree in physics from Chungnam National University and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), in February 2003. From March 1999 to September 2003, he had been with Quantum Optics Laboratories of the KAERI, working on high-power laser delivery system by adaptive optics (AO) technologies such as wavefront sensing, aberration compensation, and closed-loop control of AO systems. In October 2003, he joined Laser Power Photonics Group of the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE) at Osaka University, Osaka, Japan where he has been engaged in optical fiber communication research. Among his research interests are fiber amplifiers, fiber lasers, and new laser materials. In October 2006, he returned to KAERI and established High energy laser facility of KAERI.

Prof. Won Jong Kim obtained his Ph.D. in biomolecular engineering in 2004 at the Tokyo Institute of Technology under the supervision of Prof. T. Akaike and Prof. A. Maruyama. From 2004–2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Sung Wan Kim's group at the University of Utah. Now, he is a Mueunjae chaired professor at the Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). His research field covers smart nanomedicine, delivery of biomolecules such as gene/drug/nitric oxide, and DNA engineering.

Dr. Hyung Ham Kim received his Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA in 2010. He worked as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California and Manager of the NIH Resource Center for Medical Ultrasonic Transducer Technology until he joined Analogic Inc., Peabody, MA in 2014. At Analogic, he led the research solutions business as a Director of Business Development by 2016. He is currently an Associate Professor of Department of Convergence IT Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Korea. His current research includes high frequency array transducers for high resolution ultrasound imaging, cellular mechanics studies using high frequency ultrasound and neuromodulation using focused ultrasound.

Dr. Chulhong Kim earned his Ph.D. degree and did postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He currently holds the Mueunjae Chaired Professorship and is an Associate Professor of Creative IT Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea. He has received a 2017 IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award, the 2017 Korean Academy of Science and Technology Young Scientist Award, the 2016 Nightingale Award from IFMBE, and the 2017 KOSOMBE Young Investigator Award for “Contributions to multi-scale photoacoustic imaging, ranging from super-resolution atomic force photoactivated microscopy for research to systems for clinical applications.

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These authors contributed equally to this work.