A new technology of tiny particles has been developed by the team of researchers that has the ability to be injected into the body where they can emit those penetrating frequencies as most of the biological tissues are nearly as transparent as glass for certain frequencies of short wave infrared lights.
By the advancement of this technology, a new way of making detailed images of internal body structures will be provided such as: fine networks of blood vessels. These new findings of the researchers which are based on the use of light emitting particles called quantum dots have been published in many journals.
For the purpose of research on biological tissues, near infrared imaging with wavelengths between 700 and 900 nano-meters has been widely used rather wavelengths of around 1000 to 2000 nano-meters have the enough potential to provide better results as the body tissues are more important to that light.
In comparison to exiting methods, this imaging module would be better but the scientists were lacking high quality emitters which are light emitting materials that have the ability to produce these precise wavelengths. These nano-crystals which have been made of semiconductor materials can emit light whose frequency can be tuned precisely with the help of controlling the exact size and composition of the particles.
The main goal of the scientist was to develop several versions of the quantum dots whose emissions could be matched with the desired short wave infrared frequencies. In order to get easily detected through the surrounded skin and muscle tissues, it should be bright enough.
There has been a development of particles by the scientists which are orders of magnitude better than pervious materials as well as it also allows unprecedented detail in biological imaging. The synthesis of these new particles has been published in many journals.
The emissions of these quantum dots which have been produced by the researchers can be captured with very short exposure times. It enables the possibility of production of not just single images but also video which captures details of motion for example: flow of blood through which it is possible to distinguish between veins and arteries.
For the purpose of allow imagings of internal organs in mice which are awake and moving, the new light emitting particles are bright enough, which is the first step in this regard as opposed to previous methods which have required them to be analyzed.
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