Grant: Idea to Innovation

High-resolution x-ray imaging is crucial for a variety of diagnostic and minimally invasive interventional procedures. Our innovative approach to advancement in x-ray medical imaging detector technology focuses on exploiting a novel photoconductive material, such as amorphous lead oxide (a-PbO), to improve the capabilities and efficiencies, while reducing the radiation dose associated with medical imaging. Our initial studies have shown that a-PbO potential is ripe for application in x-ray imaging; however, its technology has to be improved before its unique imaging properties will be realized. With an ultimate goal of making clinical prototype, we plan to optimize a-PbO technology and to design, develop and test lab prototype of the direct conversion detector for Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) and image-guided cardiac intervention. The development of advanced technology for PbO as a photoconductive material will facilitate widespread clinical application of digital x-ray imaging systems for diagnosis and cardiac intervention. If the technical and scientific objectives of the proposed program are achieved, the Canadian healthcare industry will receive practical and cost-effective solutions for relevant detectors with image quality superior to similar, commercially available devices. The potential market place (hospitals and clinics) is very large and international. For example, Teledyne DALSA, a leading supplier of detectors and subsystems for digital X-ray applications, is a potential receptor of the proposed PbO technology, provided it is reduced to practice and its compatibility with the DALSA detector technology is demonstrated in the proposed research.