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A collaborative project between South Dakota State University’s College of Nursing and College of Natural Sciences is improving medical imaging accuracy through the study of germanium, a chemical element found in the Earth's crust.

Cancer continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. However, most types of cancer are treatable — if they are detected early enough.

While medical imaging technologies, like X-rays, CT scans and MRIs, have improved significantly over the last three decades, some slow-growth cancers can still go undetected, leading to a later diagnosis and higher mortality rates. This is especially problematic for rural populations, who not only have higher rates of cancer than their urban counterparts but also have less access to the most advanced medical imaging technologies.

A National Science Foundation-backed project from South Dakota State University is studying a scarce metal found in the Earth's crust to improve the accuracy and diagnostic capabilities of advanced medical imaging. SDSU's College of Nursing and College of Natural Sciences have partnered with a consortium of five South Dakota universities as well as major health care providers in the state, including Sanford Health and Avera Health, on this transformative research initiative.

"Around 20% of the U.S. population lives in what is considered rural areas," said Michelle Lichtenberg, assistant professor in SDSU's College of Nursing and a co-project investigator. "In South Dakota, more than half of the population lives in rural counties. This project will improve health outcomes for both our rural and urban populations."

Germanium is a chemical element found in the Earth's crust and is similar to silicon. Crystalline germanium is widely used as a semiconductor material in electronic applications and is highly important for producing advanced radiation detectors, key instruments used in the search for dark matter, neutrinos and high-precision medical imaging.

In terms of medical imaging, researchers believe high-purity germanium detectors can deliver cleaner, sharper images, allowing for more accurate diagnoses. It’s estimated that germanium detectors have a 20- to 30-fold improvement in image energy resolution compared with sodium iodide detectors, which are most commonly used in hospitals and clinics.

"Everyone has heard a story about someone getting a cancer diagnosis when it’s already too late," Lichtenberg said. "Germanium can help create more precise medical imaging equipment with less radiation exposure, helping doctors detect potential cancerous tumors in earlier stages when they are still treatable."

NSF is providing the research consortium with $7 million over the four-year funding period. Other institutions on the project include South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Mount Marty University and the University of South Dakota.

"At SDSU, we will help to improve medical imaging,” said Robert McTaggart, professor and assistant head of SDSU's Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics and primary investigator on the project. “That includes fostering engineering physics education to improve germanium technologies. It also means modeling the use of medical isotopes with better detectors to improve image quality and reduce the radiation required in medical imaging. The artificial intelligence can then be trained on the simulation results to find cancers that humans may not notice in a medical image.”

While the results of this work will allow more accessible cancer screenings for patients in rural areas, successful implementation will depend on adoption by health care systems. Lichtenberg will evaluate pathways for improving both the access and acceptance of advanced medical imaging in rural health care systems. She will also develop policies related to germanium-based imaging.

"As a nurse scientist at SDSU, I am excited to be part of this innovative project aimed at transforming the cancer care pathway from diagnosis to treatment to reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality at the population level," Lichtenberg said.

More than 20 researchers will collaborate on this initiative, bridging expertise in physics, engineering, computer science and materials science. The project will also train 100 graduate and undergraduate students and engage 28 K-12 teachers and 350 students.

For more on the research initiative, go to: /news/2025/08/nsf-invests-7-million-south-dakota-universities-study-germanium.