Seeing inside the human body
Biomedical optics research at UCL
Scientists at UCL are using light, especially near-infrared light, to study the blood flow in brains and muscles.
The changing colours of blood
Blood in arteries is rich in oxygen and is red. Blood in veins has lost most of its oxygen and is blue. This change can be used to study blood flow by shining light into the body and seeing how much of the light at different wavelenths is absorbed.
New light sources, new methods of detecting light and powerful methods of computing now make it possible to use light find out much more about what is happening inside our bodies.
Light in the service of health
Premature babies and people that have had severe head injuries need intensive care. Under these conditions it is very hard to find out what is happening inside the brain. Yet doctors need as much information as possible to decide on their treatments.
The new method of exploring the brain with light can gather important clues to help diagnosis without doing any harm. Nothing has to be put into the body to gather the data. This is a non-invasive method.
Submitted by: Checked by Jem Hebden images copyright UCL, 26 February 2007
