Osteoporosis Detection Method Uses Ultrasound

Using patents licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., the company Hologic Inc., Waltham, Mass., has developed equipment that can detect women at risk of developing osteoporosis. The method uses ultrasound to estimate bone density of the heel. Recently approved by the Food & Drug Administration, the Sahara Clinical Bone Sonometer is based on research by George Pratt, a professor in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, and his MIT colleagues.