From detecting lung cancer to spotting counterfeit money, this new imaging technology could have countless uses

hyperspectral fish — The new imaging technique is considerably faster and could even be used in a smartphone app for remote medicine or food safety. (Image by Wen Shi, Daniel E.S. Koo and Francesco Cutrale)

USC scientists have developed a new tool to peer more deeply and clearly into living things, a visual advantage that saves time and helps advance medical cures.

It’s the sort of foundational science that can be used to develop better diagnostics and treatments, including detecting lung cancer or damage from pollutants. The technology is versatile enough it could become a smartphone app for use in remote medicine, food safety or counterfeit currency detection, said Francesco Cutrale, lead author of the study and research assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Scientists affiliated with the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience have been working on the technology for the past few years. Their findings are published today in Nature Communications.