Medical Technologies in Color

When you see a black and white image, the level of clarity doesn’t take away from the fact that color just makes things more exciting. Now, according to an article published in sciencedaily.com “A collaboration between researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has combined Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with computed tomography (CT-scans) to create a non-destructive 3D imaging technique that provides molecular-level chemical information of unprecedented detail on biological and other specimens with no need to stain or alter the specimen.”

The idea of a color image is incredibly appealing when you think about the fact that black and white can really lead to unwanted misinterpretations of what the actual image may look like. It’s something of an expectation when you think about all the things that are happening in terms of developments. Far better 3d and 4d technology along with hybrid modalities that mix MRI and CT properties are either being designed or getting clearance from the FDA to go commercial. It was stated by one of the researchers that “The notion of having the colors in a 3D reconstructed image being tied to real chemistry is powerful.”

It is incredibly powerful to see this development, but not just from a chemistry perspective. The implications here are that there is more detail when considering the complexity of certain conditions. To be able to see something closely and better understand what causes it, why, and how to treat it, has enormous implications on the research front.