Design of Brain Tumor Phantoms Replicating the Elasticity of Gliomas

Abstract

It is hypothesized that by finding the stiffness of gliomas in the brain, cryogel tumor phantoms can be created which match the elastic properties of gliomas. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is one method that can be used to identify tumors in the brain. Tumor phantoms can be used to help uncover potential weaknesses in these medical imaging systems. Cryogels prepared by the freeze-thaw technique have shown to mimic the mechanical properties of soft tissues and have been extensively used as phantom materials. The effects of varying freeze-thaw cycles and properties of various polymer mixtures in solution were researched in order to produce cryogel phantoms that could model tumor stiffness, compressive Young’s modulus(E), and shear modulus(G).