Value Proposition
· Comprehensive Examination – integrates conventional ultrasound, ultrasound tomography, photoacoustic imaging, and mammography.
· Superior Accuracy – multiple imaging modalities deliver comprehensive and precise breast tissue analysis, reducing the risk of overdiagnosis and/or overtreatment.
· Improved Early Detection – enhances the likelihood of detecting breast cancer at an early stage.
· Optimal Sensitivity and Specificity – balances sensitivity and specificity via multiple imaging modalities, addressing a key challenge in current standards of care.
· Versatile Applications – can be employed independently or in conjunction with existing clinical standards, providing flexibility in various clinical settings.
· Cost Effective All-In-One Vendor-Independent Platform – co-robotic ultrasound is a vendor-independent approach that can be applied to most existing mammography devices.
Technology Description
· Researchers at Johns Hopkins have created a suite of advanced medical devices for breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and biopsy guidance. The platform integrates multiparametric quantitative ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging, ultrasound tomography, robotics, and conventional mammographic devices. These technologies work together to provide detailed imaging and improve the accuracy and effectiveness of breast cancer detection and treatment.
Unmet Need
· Current imaging approaches for breast cancer screening and early diagnosis often fall short—they either lack the sensitivity to detect deadly cancers or are overly sensitive and less specific, leading to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Therefore, there is a need for an imaging solution that balances the two – being sensitive enough to distinguish between deadly and non-deadly breast cancers while also being specific enough to avoid misdiagnoses.
Stage of Development
· The disclosed technology is in the later stages of development, featuring a fully developed co-robotic interface that supports both conventional and quantitative ultrasound imaging of the breast.
· Current efforts are concentrated on refining ultrasound tomography reconstruction and validating image quality, sensitivity, and specificity prior to commercialization.
Data Availability
· Data available upon request.
Publication
N/A
