Browsing by Author "Smith, Michael R"

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    Investigating the potential of using low-intensity ultrasound on skin cells for facial skin cancer treatment
    (2022-06-03) Mohammadi Jahromi, Seyed Mohammad; Curiel, Laura;; Pichardo, Samuel; Smith, Michael R; Yanshkuvich, Svetlana; Bento, Mariana Pinheiro;
    Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers. This type of cancer usually occurs in a body region often exposed to the sun. Current treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, and photodynamic therapy can be painful and have aesthetic side effects about which most patients complain. Furthermore, the chance of skin cancer recurrence is high. As a non-invasive cancer treatment, ultrasound has the potential to be used for skin cancer treatment. Since skin cancer occurs at the surface, it does not need complex imaging to localize the tumour, and the treatment usually does not take long. Investigating the effect of ultrasound on skin cells is a critical step in understanding the effect of ultrasound on skin cancer. This thesis focuses on investigating the potential of using low-intensity ultrasound on skin cells and proposes designs for facial skin cancer treatment. First, as a starting point of the project, an ultrasound device used for dermal cosmetic purposes was acoustically and electrically characterized. Second, a setup was designed and developed to reproduce controlled exposure conditions on cells. The device was then used to perform an in-vitro study on mice dermal fibroblast cells. The device included six 30-mm planar ultrasound emitters. The acoustic pressure modelling was used to determine a uniform region where cells could be exposed to ultrasound. The uniformity was confirmed using measurements by a needle hydrophone. The cell culture plate was placed in the cell ultrasound exposure device at a height where cells were exposed to uniform acoustic pressure. Three embodiments of the cell ultrasound exposure device working at 330 kHz, 500 kHz and 1 MHz were built. The results showed that more than 70% of the well-area had a measured acoustic pressure at a set value of ±25%. Finally, designs were proposed for skin cancer treatment. Ultrasound emitter geometries were designed and modelled to maximize the treatment coverage and deliver a uniform acoustic pressure to the skin. The suggested emitter can fully cover the desired region over the face that needs to be treated.