Project description
Highly specific breast imaging with multimodal approach
Breast cancer screening programmes based on mammography medical imaging have improved detection, clinical outcomes, and survival. However, mammography is prone to false positive results, which may lead to unnecessary invasive procedures. To address this limitation, the EU-funded SOLUS project brings together academic, clinical, and industry experts to develop an innovative imaging system for accurate breast cancer diagnosis. The consortium will develop advanced photonics concepts and components to create a low-cost, non-invasive multimodal (ultrasound and optics) imaging system of unprecedented specificity. This advanced system will enable the comprehensive characterisation of breast tissue, thereby improving breast cancer diagnosis and benefitting women across Europe.
Objective
SOLUS is a trans-disciplinary 54-month project bringing together 9 partners: industries (4), academic and clinical institutions from 5 countries (engineers, physicists and radiologists) representing cutting-edge expertise in their fields, to develop an innovative non-invasive, point-of-care, low-cost, easy-to-operate, multi-modal imaging system (diffuse optics and ultrasounds/shear wave elastography) for high-specificity diagnosis of breast cancer, the most common female cancer in Europe. Mammographic screening is effective in reducing mortality, however the 10-year cumulative false-positive risk is 50-60%, leading to needless additional invasive procedures (e.g. biopsy). The project addresses the unmet clinical need for higher specificity in breast cancer imaging following screening by fully combining photonics with non-photonics techniques, developing and clinically validating innovative and previously unthinkable photonics concepts and components: time-domain small source-detector distance optical tomography, miniaturized picosecond pulsed laser sources, high-dynamic-range time-gated single-photons detectors to achieve unprecedented sensitivity and depth penetration. For the first time, this allows a comprehensive quantitative characterization of breast tissue including composition (water, lipids, collagen), functional blood parameters, morphologic information and mechanical parameters (stiffness). This innovative multi-parametric characterization will significantly improve the specificity of breast screening, with great impact on the quality of life of millions of European women every year, and huge savings for the healthcare systems. The strong involvement of leading industrial players at all levels in the value chain will push the European innovation process and make a significant contribution to ensuring Europe’s industrial leadership in the biophotonics healthcare market, while addressing one of the largest societal challenges in health and well-being.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssystem software
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologybreast cancer
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physicspulsed lasers
- engineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imaging
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesacousticsultrasound
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
20133 Milano
Italy