Medical Physics PhD Candidate Awarded Best in Physics Imaging at 2024 AAPM
LSU medical physics graduate student Hunter Meyer was presented with a ‘Best in Physics Award’ in the category of Imaging Scientific Session: Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine 66th Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
X-ray interferometry is an emerging imaging modality simultaneously capturing attenuation, phase-shift, and small angle X-ray scattering (dark-field) images. The Talbot-Lau X-ray Interferometer (TLXI) shows clinical promise, where the dark-field images reveal lung disease such as fibrosis, emphysema, and cancer, as well microcalcifications in the breast. However, the TLXI requires an absorption grating that increases patient dose. The Modulated Phase Grating Interferometer (MPGI) is an alternative that can image these new contrast mechanisms with no additional X-ray dose.
Meyer’s research titled “Investigating the Modulated Phase Grating Interferometer for Lung and Breast Cancer Screening” involves mathematically modeling the MPGI to aid in design and involves imaging lung tissue analogues to show the utility of the MPGI for dark-field imaging. The MPGI has the potential for lung and breast cancer screening, with increased contrast in the dark-field images compared with traditional X-ray images.
“I’m honored to be recognized by the AAPM and proud of the work that our group has done for X-ray interferometry,” said Meyer. “There’s a lot of potential for this imaging technology to be used in the clinic, and I hope that the work that I’ve done will be used to us there.”
The MPGI has the potential for lung and breast cancer screening due to the unique contrast mechanisms provided with no additional dose. The LSU research team’s theoretical model predicts the fringe visibility before construction, facilitating system development and optimization. They will soon image lung samples and breast samples with microcalcifications.
“It has been a most rewarding experience working with Hunter Meyer, an advanced PhD student,” said Associate Prrofessor Joyoni Dey. "Hunter worked meticulously and relentlessly on Modulated Phase Grating mathematics and experiments. It has been a great experience seeing Hunter grow over the years into an independent researcher and a veritable expert in the field."
In addition, the team had a Nature Scientific Reports paper published recently: https://bit.ly/40Lhypy
The AAPM 66th Annual Meeting & Exhibition is the world's largest program of scientific, educational, and professional presentations and exhibits in the medical physics industry drawing thousands of attendees.
Meyer graduated magna cum laude from LSU with a B.S. in physics in 2020. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Meyer was bestowed the 2020 Byrd Ball Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award and Sigma Pi Sigma honors.
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Contact: Mimi LaValle
External Relations Manager
LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy
mlavall@lsu.edu
225-439-5633