Medical imaging
Because CT and MRI are sensitive to different tissue properties, the appearances of the images obtained with the two techniques differ markedly. In CT, X-rays must be blocked by some form of dense tissue to create an image, so the image quality when looking at soft tissues will be poor. In MRI, while any nucleus with a net nuclear spin can be used, the proton of the hydrogen atom remains the most widely used, especially in the clinical setting, because it is so ubiquitous and returns a large signal. This nucleus, present in water molecules, allows the excellent soft-tissue contrast achievable with MRI.
TeraView
Due in part to its ability to recognize spectral fingerprints, terahertz pulsed imaging can be applied to provide contrast between different types of soft tissue. Also, it is a sensitive means of detecting the degree of water content and markers of cancer and other diseases. Attempts have been made to apply Terahertz to image cancers like breast, cancer as well as other diseases in medicine, oral health care, and related areas. The company announced it has been cleared by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to trial "in-vivo" terahertz spectroscopy for bio-medical research. The trials will be held in Guy's Hospital in London and aim to determine if the technology can be applied real-time for accurate removal of cancer tissue.