Handheld Laser Diode based Photoacoustic Imaging system

Laser diode (LD) technology offers a new, compact and low-cost way of performing photoacoustic (PA) imaging in preclinical and clinical studies, with the aim of providing high-resolution visualization of tissue morphology and functional information with current motorized scanners. However, these scanners are necessary because LD systems typically suffer from low energy output, resulting in a poor signal-to-noise ratio. Recently, our group developed a deep-learning-based method that provides signal strength for the LD comparable to the standard PA lasers, while reducing costs to approximately 1% of those associated with Nd:YAG lasers. This research paves the way for the introduction of a handheld LD-based scanner as an alternative to motorized systems.