NZ scientists to build world's first color x-ray scanner

New Zealand researchers are to build the world's first human color x-ray scanner, which they hope will advance medical understanding of diseases and treatments.

University of Canterbury scientists said Thursday the project was possible with the help of 12 million NZ dollars ($9.82 million) in government funding over six years.

"This is a revolution in medical imaging that enables medical researchers to measure the components of human tissues and some drugs to improve medical diagnosis and disease management," Associate Professor Anthony Butler said in a statement Thursday.

"This will be the world's first full spectral CT color x-ray scanner designed for human clinical trials," said Butler.

"We are focusing on heart disease and bone implants such hip replacements, but also looking at helping cancer researchers and drug developers."

The scanner would provide international links with dozens of international universities and companies, including healthcare organizations.

"The human medical imaging market is currently worth $27.4 billion and growing at 4.4 percent a year," Butler said.