Students develop cancer technology
By Paighten Harkins Campus Reporter for OU Daily A group of OU researchers tucked away inside the Stephenson Research and Technology Center is developing new technologies to detect certain cancers at earlier stages. “We build toys,” team leader Hong Liu said. These toys are the equipment that Liu, chair of Biomedical Engineering and his team have developed to make cancer detection a more streamlined and efficient process. The researcher is focusing on phase-contrast imaging and how it can be used for earlier and less invasive treatment of breast cancer. Normal X-ray imaging relies on how much radiation objects absorb, according to the OU Biotechnology website. These differences create contrasting images. However, in phase contrast X-ray imaging, the X-ray beams collect information as they pass through the body. This creates a better picture because it picks up weakly absorbing areas as well and exposes patients to less radiation, according to the website. The current pro