Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/362552
August 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 37 realtimewith.com CliCk To View i-Connect007 Panel discussion video This panel, moderated by Ray Rasmussen, covers the current state of printed electronics, and offers a look at what the future holds for this new technology. Panelists include John Andresa- kis, vP of strategic technology for Oak-Mitsui; scott gordon, business development manager at DuPont Teijen Films; and Josh goldberg, marketing spe- cialist for Taiyo America. Printed Electronics Sponsored by: Taiyo America by Real Time with... NEPCON South China A new hand-held device that uses lasers and sound waves may change the way doctors treat and diagnose melanoma, according to a team of researchers from Washington university in st. louis. The thicker the melanoma tumor, the more likely it will spread and the deadlier it be- comes, says dermatologist lynn Cornelius, one of the study's coauthors. Because skin scatters light, high- resolution optical techniques don't reach deep enough. "none are really sufficient to provide the two to four millimeter penetration that's at least required for melanoma diagnosis, prognosis or surgical planning," says engineer lihong Wang, another coau- thor on the Optics letters paper. Recently, researchers including Wang have applied an approach called photoacoustic microscopy, which can accurately measure melanoma tumors directly on a patient's skin--thus allowing doctors to avoid uncertainty in some circumstances. Wang, Cornelius and their colleagues pre- viously built a similar desktop device, which shines the laser directly onto the tumor. But so much light is absorbed that very little pen- etrates to the tumor's lower layers. The latest version, however, is not only hand-held, but it also delivers light around and below the tumor, which generates a bright image of the tumor's bottom and an accurate measure- ment of its depth. The researchers tested their de- vice on both artificial tumors made of black gelatin and on real ones in live mice, showing that the in- strument could accurately measure the depths of tumors—and do it in living tissue. initially, this tool will be mainly used for improving how doctors plan and prepare for surgeries, Cornelius says. Device Uses Lasers, Sound Waves for Melanoma Imaging