A novel metasurface utilizing terahertz waves may effectively detect skin cancer cells, according to a recent study published by Nourinovin et al in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. Standard methods for identifying skin cancer typically involve cost-ineffective scans and invasive high-frequency technologies. Researchers developed a novel terahertz high Q–factor electromagnetically induced transparency–like metasurface based on asymmetric resonators on an ultra-thin and flexible dielectric substrate. The metasurface was designed to measure resonance frequency, transmission magnitude, and the Full Width at Half Maximum value to detect subtle alterations in the cells’ properties. They verified bright-dark modes coupling at 1.96 terahertz and achieved a theoretical sensitivity of 550 GHz/refractive index units using a sample with a thickness of 13 μm. The researchers then designed a two-layer skin model in which keratinocyte cell lines were cultured on a base of collagen in order to analyze the efficacy of the novel terahertz metasurface at differentiating between basal cell carcinoma cells and healthy cells. They observed a frequency shift of 40 GHz and 20 GHz after the basal cell carcinoma cell lines were switched out for healthy cell lines and after the basal cell carcinoma cells’ density was increased from 1 x 105 to 2.51 x 105, respectively. In a companion press release on the findings from the Queen Mary University of London, the study authors concluded: “The implications of this study extend far beyond skin cancer detection. This technology could be used for early detection of various cancers and other diseases like Alzheimer’s, with potential applications in resource-limited settings due to its portability and affordability.”
March 06, 2024