Corporate Technology - Rolf Hellinger

Research Partnerships
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in
Boston: Detecting Cancer Cells with Light
When breast cancer is detected, the first thing the doctor wants to know is
whether it has spread to nearby lymph nodes. Unfortunately, the only way of
determining this is to remove all potentially-affected nodes, and there are
typically 30 of them in a woman’s armpit. With a view to minimizing surgical
intervention, John V. Frangioni, M.D. PhD of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center has developed a new imaging system that allows doctors to
see exactly which lymph nodes a tumor drains into. Whether cancer cells have
actually migrated to these nodes can be determined after the nodes have
been removed. Known as Fluorescence-Assisted Resection and Exploration
(FLARE), the system uses unique medical image fusion and visualization
software developed by Siemens Corporate Research (SCR) that combines a
visible light image of the area of interest with an image of the invisible
infrared light reflected from a fluorescent substance. Injected into the area
surrounding the tumor, the substance rapidly finds its way from the tumor to
the nodes it drains into. The resulting hybrid image, which appears in real
time on a color monitor, displays concentrations of brightness at the tumor
and at its associated nodes, as well as a river of light beneath the skin
indicating the fluid’s drainage path. And that’s just for starters. Optical
systems could detect a spectrum of physiological processes indicative of
cancer, such as changes in oxygen saturation and hemoglobin and water
concentrations in tissues long before any anatomical or structural changes are
visible to a surgeon’s eye. Such a tool could have far-reaching consequences .
By providing feedback within hours regarding a tumor’s response to a new
medication, in vivo optical imaging could inexpensively accelerate and
personalize drug testing as well as patient treatment for shallow lesions as
well as those that could be approached with future endoscopic devices. With
this in mind, SCR researchers are working with the Beckman Laser Institute at
the University of California in Irvine, to develop a novel software imaging
platform for a hand-held laser and broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy
probe that would work in much the same way as does an ultrasound
transducer — but with light instead of sound. The device could be applied
directly to the surface of the breast, where it will emit light at a range of
wavelengths, enabling quantification of many physiological properties.
44 Corporate Technology
Research in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk,
and Tomsk: Strength through Cooperation
Since its founding in 2005, CT Russia has accomplished a great deal (see p.
28) — and much of this success is due to the approximately 20 research
partnerships it has with leading Russian research institutes, universities,
and industrial companies. CT researchers are now working on new types of
combustion concepts for integrated gasification combustion cycle (IGCC)
processes in cooperation with experts from the Moscow Engineering and
Physics Institute, who have developed an experimental gas burner for the
Siemens researchers to use in extensive tests of the new concept.
CT is also working together with the Institute of Strength Physics and
Materials Sciences (ISPMS) in Tomsk, Siberia, on the development of
nanostructured ceramics for use in gas turbines. These new ceramic
coatings are more ductile and longer-lasting than their current counterparts,
which means that the service life of the turbines they’re installed in
can be extended and the turbines themselves can be exposed to higher
stresses without damage. All of this results in savings for power plant
operators. ISPMS is using its expertise and tools to develop the nanostructured
ceramics, and Siemens researchers are investigating how to optimally
install the material in a gas turbine.
Technicians need to react quickly if a complex system like a gas turbine
develops a fault, as shutdowns can be very expensive. Russian researchers
at Siemens are thus working with the renowned State Polytechnical
University in St. Petersburg to develop intelligent software solutions that
recognize and report potential defects before they occur. Such solutions
monitor the operation of the system in question on the basis of
programmed parameters such as oscillation and environmental data.
Siemens is responsible for the software expertise here, while the university
conducts practical tests, handles implementation, and optimizes the
analysis system. A very different type of optimization was developed by
CT researchers in conjunction with Russian oil company Rosneft. Together,
they developed a chemical process to raise the pressure of less active oil
deposits and thus enable the corresponding oil fields to be returned to
production. CT carried out the modeling and simulations for this project,
while Rosneft was responsible for the experimental part.