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Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Smartphone Camera Can Illuminate Bacteria Causing Acne, Dental Plaque

Diagnosis Application.

Smartphone Camera Can Illuminate Bacteria Causing Acne, Dental Plaque

By University of Washington News, June 17, 2021

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a technique to identify potentially harmful bacteria on skin and in the mouth using images taken by conventional smartphone cameras.

Their cost-effective approach — which could become the basis for home-based methods to assess basic skin and oral health — combines a smartphone-case modification with image-processing methods.

The researchers attached a three-dimensional printed ring featuring 10 LED black lights around the smartphone case's camera opening, which researcher Qinghua He said serve to "'excite' a class of bacteria-derived molecules called porphyrins, causing them to emit a red fluorescent signal that the smartphone camera can then pick up."

Researcher Ruikang Wang explained, "If you have bacteria producing a different byproduct that you want to detect, you can use the same image to look for it — something you can't do today with conventional imaging systems."

From University of Washington News ... 

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