Q&A: 1st-ever X-ray of an astronaut in space used technology developed in Waterloo region

The first-ever X-ray taken of an astronaut in space used new technology developed in Waterloo region.

Startup KA Imaging's new X-ray detector was part of a mission to study Earth's polar regions from space. It is being used to track the effects of space travel on astronauts. 

The X-ray detector creates clear images of X-rays and can measure an astronaut's bone density while in space. Chief technology officer of KA Imaging, Karim Karim, joined CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris to discuss how the new technology will impact the future of space travel and healthcare. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Audio of the interview can be found at the bottom of this article.

Craig Norris: Tell us more about the technology and how it works. 

Karim Karim: This tech was developed in the region. We started the company more than a decade ago. It has a lot of applications. Most of the applications are on Earth, primarily in health care, but also in security. The health care applications include usage in the intensive care units where this type of technology reduces the need for follow up CT scans. 

So it's really good for efficient healthcare and better patient outcomes. At the same time it has this really unique feature of quantitative X-ray imaging. It lets you measure things in the body like bone density

Craig Norris: Why are X-rays needed in space?

Karim Karim: There are well-known studies that show in low gravity or zero gravity environments, astronauts lose their bone mass and bone density. This is a problem because oftentimes when you see them come back to Earth, they have even trouble climbing out of the shuttle. That's because things have changed. So monitoring bone density is very important. It can allow for the correct exercise regiment or potentially pharmaceutical intervention.

Craig Norris: Why were X-rays not able to be taken in space before?

Karim Karim: I think the main reason people didn't do X-rays in space in the past is because of the weight associated with X-ray machines. The X-ray sources and the detectors were really heavy. What we've done is we've brought a very lightweight system to the market. 

We've also got a very unique capability that no other X-ray has. We're the only one where you can get a bone density measurement with the X-ray. Now mind you, this is research, but we can do it. So this is the reason why we were selected.

Craig Norris: In what ways does this X-ray machine differ from a machine used in the hospital?

Karim Karim: When everyone thinks of X-rays, they think of a room, they think of a giant X-ray source, they see these wall stands. This is very different,  all you've got in your hand is a plate and you've got a source that you can carry in your hand. The total weight of something like this would be probably in the 25-pound range but that is still too heavy. 

We were told we need to miniaturize even more to make this more of a regular occurrence in space. It's super simple: You've got a source, you've got a detector, and maybe you've got a laptop that fits the data.

Craig Norris: How can this new X-ray detector be used here on earth? 

Karim Karim: One of the biggest challenges we have in the region are long wait times.That happens because of the way our health care system is set up. Everybody gets funnelled into the emergency room and then a triage happens. Sometimes you may be waiting there for hours.

With this type of system, you could argue you could do the triage at the paramedic stage, maybe in the ambulance or even earlier at little clinics.

This way you could alleviate wait times and you could get better health care. One of the nice things about this particular X-ray, because of its spectral capability, is it's better at early detection of almost every disease that an X-ray is good at. So things like indeterminate lung nodules for cancer, coronary arterial calcium for heart disease, and pneumonia.

It's shown higher sensitivity for all of those diseases. If this was now adopted widely in our urgent care clinics and outpatient clinics, you would get early detection that would reduce the load on our CT system and CAT scan infrastructure, but also on the hospital emergency room waiting times.

Craig Norris: Is there a timeline of when this technology will begin to be used?

Karim Karim: Absolutely. So the bone density part is in the research phase. The rest of it is FDA cleared and Health Canada approved. There are a few hospitals in Ontario that are already using it clinically and there's a few in the U.S. and overseas that are also using it.

Craig Norris: Is it more economically feasible than a normal X-ray machine?

Karim Karim: Hugely. Every time you have a patient in the intensive care unit who needs a follow up scan, you have to get staff to transport them to the CT room. You have to pay for the CT machine, the CT time. All of that adds up to thousands of dollars per patient. This device eliminates that. So by adopting something like this, you could be saving half a million to a million dollars per year just in one ICU.

LISTEN | KA Imaging tech helps take first-ever X-ray of astronaut in space: 

The Morning Edition - K-W7:54KA Imaging tech helps take first ever X-ray of astronaut in space

The first-ever X-ray taken of an astronaut in space used new technology developed in Waterloo region. Karim Karim, founder and chief technology officer at the Waterloo-based KA Imaging, explains how they helped measure an astronaut's bone density in space.