# High-speed panoramic 3D photoacoustic computed tomography of the breast

> **NIH NIH R35** · CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2023 · $976,958

## Abstract

ABSTRACT (30 Lines Max)
Objective: Develop two innovative high-speed 3D breast photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT)
systems to diagnose benign, atypical, and malignant lesions — leading to a more streamlined and accurate
workup that reduces unnecessary follow-up imaging and benign breast biopsies.
Clinical significance: Abnormal findings detected by screening mammography lead to workups including
additional imaging, usually in the form of extra mammogram views, tomosynthesis, and/or ultrasound, and
possibility of breast biopsy. Biopsies have considerable side effects such as pain and bleeding, and are
unnecessary in the majority (60 – 70%) of cases because of the high false-positive rate of mammography. The
side effects, costs, and delays of the workups cause considerable stress to patients. PACT combines the
functional optical contrast of diffuse optical tomography and the high spatial resolution of ultrasonography
without speckle artifacts. The attenuation coefficient of near-IR light in breast tissue is only twice that of
mammographic x-ray—enabling adequate optical penetration, but light has far higher soft-tissue contrast than
x-ray. With rich functional contrast at high spatial and temporal resolutions and without using ionizing radiation
or exogenous contrast agents, 3D breast PACT has the potential to reduce unnecessary benign breast
biopsies by serving as a diagnostic tool adjunct to mammography. Possible long-term breast imaging
applications include not only diagnosis, but also screening, assessment of response to pre-operative systemic
therapy, and definitive surgical planning.
Challenges: Numerous innovations are required to develop a PACT imaging system effective for clinical
breast imaging. Previous PACT breast imagers possess significant limitations, including suboptimal light
delivery, limited detection view, non-isotropic spatial resolution, and long scanning times. There remains an
imperative need for more advanced PACT breast imaging technologies.
Solutions: Encouraged by the preliminary deep and clear in vivo breast images acquired by our newly
developed PACT system, we propose further innovations for 3D functional breast imaging to overcome the
above-mentioned limitations. Aim 1: To develop a single-breath-hold 3D breast imaging system with nearly
isotropic 3D resolutions and dual-wavelength contrasts (Model I). Aim 2: To develop a snapshot 3D breast
PACT system (Model II) using the concept of acoustic ergodicity. It can reach the ultimate imaging speed
(single laser shot), desirable for 3D high-resolution functional and dynamic imaging without motion artifacts.
Both systems can perform elastography. Contrasts to be imaged include vascularity, concentration and oxygen
saturation of hemoglobin, elasticity, and tumor volume and shape. Aim 3: To test PACT for the diagnosis of
benign, atypical, and malignant breast lesions by comparing with the gold standard of tissue pathology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10672197
- **Project number:** 5R35CA220436-06
- **Recipient organization:** CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lihong Wang
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $976,958
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10672197

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10672197, High-speed panoramic 3D photoacoustic computed tomography of the breast (5R35CA220436-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10672197. Licensed CC0.

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