The photoacoustic effect turns visible light into sound. In biomedical imaging this can be used to image vascular structures and oxygenation levels in biological tissue with possible applications in cancer screening. Since cancer growth is largely driven by the supply of oxygenated blood, the ability to accurately recover and spatially resolve oxygenation levels surrounding cancerous tissue would enable personalised, low-cost diagnosis and monitoring of such cancers. This project will pioneer the necessary methodological advancements needed to enable Accurate Imaging with Sound and Light (AI-SOL) by combining artificial intelligence and mathematical theory in the novel field of learned image reconstruction to provide interpretable and reliable images for diagnosis. All methods will be collaboratively developed and integrated with engineers to enable a realisation and adoption of novel imaging devices for the healthcare sector.

2021

2026