A NEW method of taking X-rays using powerful lasers is being tested at a laboratory near Didcot.

Teams from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have been working in conjunction with Imperial College London on the new technology.

It is at an early stage, but the hope is it could allow doctors to make earlier diagnoses of bone problems like osteoporosis without the need for a biopsy.

Work is currently under way at the STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton.

Researchers have been able to use their X-ray source, known as the Gemini laser, to produce three-dimensional images of bone samples at very high resolutions.

These allow clinicians to spot features within the bone that are finer than a human hair, at about 100 microns, or 0.01mm, thick.

Research team member Dan Symes said: “This demonstration of high resolution X-ray imaging builds on years of research conducted using our systems – in this case the Gemini laser – and brings together experienced researchers from different fields.”

Jason Cole, lead author of the study, added: “We’ve shown that laser technology has the potential to be adapted so that we can create X-rays revealing unprecedented detail."