Innovation Anthology #588:
Dr David Naylor’s work with infrared technology is changing our fundamental understanding of the Universe.
But now, that same technology could revolutionize the way we detect breast cancer.
Dr. Naylor teaches physics and astronomy at the University of Lethbridge.
DR DAVID NAYLOR: It turned out that we learned three or four years ago that one can measure breast cancer with 100 percent accuracy using this wavelength range. Now who would have thought that. But the groups that are currently doing it have detector systems that are literally a million times less sensitive than the ones we use. If you just play the math game, in terms of the sensitivity, by the time the current technology could measure one biopsy from one female, we could measure biopsies from every female who had ever lived in the history of humanity. It’s nuts! So one of the things that you realize in this game is that astronomy is the ultimate remote sensing field of study. So we’re now spinning that around and thinking, if we can look at a galaxy you know two billion light years away, surely we can measure a cancer sample one milimetre away.
At his space research lab, Dr. Naylor has assigned some of his graduate students to follow this cancer detection work.
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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University of Lethbridge
In 2007 The University of Lethbridge celebrated its 40th anniversary. The U of L campus is home to the world renowned Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience. The University is also a centre of expertise on water and remote sensing.
For more interviews with University of Lethbridge researchers, check out the website for Innovation Alberta. (2001-2008)
Program Date: 2014-01-23