New level of diagnostics: virtual reality reveals the secrets of pediatric heart tumors

A virtual reality tool helps visualize heart tumors. For the first time, the detailed formation and changes of heart tumors in children can be analyzed in both 2D and 3D environments using VR-Omics. This is reported by UNN with reference to Genome Biology and Medical Xpress.

Details

New state-of-the-art software developed in Melbourne, Australia, is set to help uncover how the most common heart tumor in children forms and changes. This is stated in a study conducted by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) in Australia. The information was published in Genome Biology.

It is reported that the VR-Omics software, developed by MCRI Professor Mirana Ramialison, will help identify previously undetected cellular activity of cardiac rhabdomyoma, a type of benign heart tumor.

VR-Omics is the first tool capable of analyzing and visualizing data in both 2D and 3D virtual reality environments.

The innovative technology aims to analyze the spatial genetic makeup of human tissues for a better understanding of specific diseases.

Reference

Cardiac rhabdomyoma, usually detected during pregnancy or in infancy, in most cases does not cause health problems. However, in some infants and children, tumors can grow and block blood flow to vital organs, causing respiratory distress, heart rhythm disturbances, obstructions, and heart failure.

During the study, Professor Ramialison and her team, including Denis Bienroth and Natalie Charitakis, analyzed the heart tissue of three children in Melbourne with cardiac rhabdomyoma.

VR-Omics generates 3D visualizations of cells in human tissues based on large collections of patient data

It is noted that the VR-Omics tool allows for a broader analysis of human tissues compared to other methods. Scientists claim that the results of its application indicate a "breakthrough in identifying specific underlying features of the tumor."

VR-Omics has the unique ability to analyze large datasets, allowing for the exploration of new biological mechanisms in rare tissue sections, such as those obtained from cardiac rhabdomyoma. This technology will enable more biological discoveries that can help better understand many childhood diseases

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