How lasers and AI could help detect cancerous tissue in minutes
A cancer detecting system built from scratch at the University of Waterloo (UW) is nearing completion and could be on the market within two years.
An engineering team began work on the Photon Absorption Remote Sensing (PARS) system in 2017. It aims to speed up the process of detecting cancerous tissue in patients which, in turn, could speed up treatment.
“With one look, we can get all the answers,” Parsin Haji Reza, a professor and the project’s lead researcher at UW said.
It uses lasers to read a tissue sample, generate data and then feed that data to an AI system.
“The AI basically translates this data – this multi-dimensional data – into information and into images that doctors, pathologists and clinicians can read,” Reza said, adding it should take less than half an hour in total.
He said the traditional biopsy process involves taking a piece of tissue, dividing it, dyeing the sections and then analyzing them under a microscope to look for cancer markers.
An engineering team at UW began work on the Photon Absorption Remote Sensing (PARS) system in 2017. (CTV News/Stefanie Davis)
It sometimes takes weeks or months for patients to get their results back. The PARS system removes some of those steps.
“[It allows] us to see those same features that are being recovered with chemical staining just by looking at the response to the absorption of light,” PHD candidate and student lead Ben Ecclestone said.
Reza said speeding up the process is important to patients, clinicians and the health care system because of the money, time and stress caused by the current model.
The PARS system has already been used in clinical trials and proved to be highly accurate. The goal is for a prototype to be tested in the field later this year, and then go to market.
“We’d like to deploy this into clinical settings where we could actually start testing this in a real world scenario rather than a lab environment that we’re working in now,” Ecclestone said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.5539352.1628465336!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
DEVELOPING Jasper updates: Wildfire moving 'faster than expected' toward townsite
Vehicles and heavy equipment have been seen leaving Jasper National Park throughout Wednesday afternoon.
2 wildfires less than 8 km away from Jasper townsite, some structures impacted in national park
As the evacuation order continues for Jasper National Park, officials confirm that some structures in the park have been damaged by fire, but they can't confirm what those structures are.
Biden says he ended re-election bid to unite party
Insisting that 'the defence of democracy is more important than any title,' U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday explained in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and to throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
Wildfire north of Calgary prompts evacuation alert, highway closures
A wildfire is prompting evacuations and highway closures north of Calgary.