American Chemical Society News Service, July 2, 2007 GALVESTON -- Scientists are reporting an advance toward expanding the medical use of LOIS, an innovative new imaging technology called the laser optoacoustic imaging system that could eventually join CT, MRI and other mainstay diagnostic technologies. In an article scheduled for the July 11 issue of ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal, Massoud Motamedi and colleagues explain that LOIS uses a laser beam and ultrasound to detect early-stage cancer. LOIS, they note, has advantages over conventional optical and ultrasound imaging methods in being able to "see" deep into the body and reveal diseased tissue. Use of LOIS, however, has been limited by lack of a suitable contrast agent, a material that can be injected into the body to make diseased tissues even more visible during the imaging session. CONTACT: Massoud Motamedi, Ph.D., University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.