Cambrios Technologies announced its ClearOhm silver nanowire-based flexible sensor made by Netherlands-based Claymount, are being used in a first-of-its-kind mammogram product from Amsterdam-based Sigmascreening.

Examination for breast cancer requires X-rays of flattened breast tissue. With the existing machines this process is very painful. Sigmascreening has designed a new compression plate, the Sensitive Sigma Paddle, which takes into account the size of the breast and stiffness of the breast tissue. The pressure exerted on the breast can be measured and allows technicians to stop once sufficient pressure has been applied in order to minimize pain while getting an accurate X-ray measurement.

The flexible and transparent conducting ClearOhm silver nanowire films allows the manufacture of the X-ray friendly sensor film used in the Sensitive Sigma Paddle.  The paddles have now received EU certification and can be retrofitted onto existing mammography systems.

“Sigmascreening has created a revolutionary medical sensor for mammography systems,” said Ivo Aarninkhof CEO at Sigmascreening. “Our partnership with Claymount and Cambrios has resulted in a product that has been subject to extensive scientific research and has already been put into practice at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam and women have responded very positively. This design specifically required both visible light and X-ray transparency, ability to conform to different shapes and electrical conductivity, all of which are met by silver nanowires made by Cambrios.”