There is currently no diagnostic means with which one image Dirofilaria in the default condition in humans. Ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans all fail to diagnose this disease, so we need to develop completely new technology in order to prove this disease is a problem. Near-Infrared (nIR) light may be that technology, because it is capable of visualizing tissues below the surface of the skin. Within the 800nm-900nm wavelength range nIR can identify exactly where the blood vessels exist (hemoglobin) near the surface of the skin. Since these filaria live within the vascular system, near the surface, any motion within that area should be visible using this new technology.
The design of this first camera is the budget-friendly version which will employ a silicon CCD sensor to perform “Motion Extraction” on a video stream. This technology examines each frame and determines exactly what has changed from the prior video frame. By displaying this change to the operator this view will allow the operator to see the highlighted area within the image that had just moved from the prior frame, and thus potentially see the filaria moving within that vein below the surface of the skin.
The Current Motion Extraction Prototype Camera in development
This camera is currently operational but much more work is needed to get the hardware/software processing its video to make it useful. It can currently be remotely controlled by the miniature keyboard shown, or by a remotely connected laptop. This remote capability is required so that each image frame does not move or vibrate since we are actually looking for very minor changes in the video stream. A very stable design with the proper illumination is key to its proper function.
As each video frame is captured, the processor will then perform a differencing algorithm to identify what changed between frames, and it will hilight that specific area of the image and display it to the operator. Both the original and enhanced video will be saved for future verification, reprocessing, or algorithm development.
The illuminators in current development are for imaging at the 890nm wavelength which is near the peak wavelength of human hemoglobin. The camera is capable of visualizing out to the upper 900nm range where the silicon CCD sensor sensitivity unfortunately drops off sharply.
A much higher cost Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) sensor, which is currently out of our price range, will be required to go well beyond this wavelength and actually see the differences in various types of tissues, and that camera design will be in the next generation Hyper-Spectral camera design. The Hyper-Spectral design should allow us to identify the filaria directly in situ without requiring the filaria itself to cooperate during that examination.
The sample Images below are with no image processing performed at all, but it clearly demonstrates the viability of the physics behind this concept. The software in development will try to enhance the specific characteristics needed in the image to identify any minute motion found below the surface. Unfortunately the light scattering through the tissues detracts from the clarity of the image but from our initial analysis this level of fidelity should be good enough to prove the existence of the disease without question.
When any movement in the veins can be recorded and documented this evidence will be a real game-changer for this disease. Scientists and doctors will no longer be able to ignore the fact that this disease exists in the human population. This technique will also enable us to collect together a cohort of people to study the actual pathogenesis of this human disease. Without knowing who has the disease it is impossible to study it. It will also be possible to search for and discover new serological tests that can confirm this disease in a more straight forward manner. Patients will finally be able to be diagnosed and treated for a known/diagnosable disease. Once these patients are finally able to get actual medical care by their physicians then these people will stop poisoning themselves with all kinds of ineffective anti-parasitic drugs while just trying to rid themselves of this horrible disease, and the rate of suicide will then diminish.