Clinical Research Directory

Multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) enables the detection of specific endogenous chromophores such as collagen, myoglobin or haemoglobin using a non-invasive approach comparable to conventional ultrasound. Instead of sound waves, MSOT illuminates the tissue with near-infrared light of transient energy, which is absorbed and leads to thermoelastic expansion of certain molecules. This expansion generates ultrasound waves that are detected by the same device. The multispectral illumination and unmixing then enable the precise localization and quantification of muscle-specific subcellular structures. MSOT has already shown the potential to visualize the muscle structure and clinical extent of muscle disease in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy and the late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) and to distinguish these patients from healthy volunteers. To date, there is no optoacoustic data on CNM.