photoacoustic imaging of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), a common joint disease, is a major source of pain, disability, and associated with high socioeconomic costs. Tools for diagnosis are expensive (MRI) or invasive (arthroscopy) and not applicable for disease monitoring or early detection of OA. In this project, a novel imaging technique will be developed, based on spectral photoacoustic imaging (sPA), to detect early changes in the joint tissue related to collagen degradation and to visualize local joint damage and grade OA. Moreover, the feasibility of in vivo sPA imaging of OA will be explored by designing and developing an in vivo PA system.