Impact Statement:Take-Home Messages •
Abstract:
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease ranks among the most prevalent chronic liver conditions worldwide. To reduce its burden, early diagnosis is vital...Show MoreMetadata
Impact Statement:
Take-Home Messages •
Abstract:
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease ranks among the most prevalent chronic liver conditions worldwide. To reduce its burden, early diagnosis is vital to enable timely medication and rehabilitation. The non-invasive diagnosis of liver health is challenging due to the limitations of existing methods. For this purpose, the design of portable non-invasive electromagnetic sensors requires knowledge of how human liver tissue and other abdominal tissues interact with electromagnetic waves. This necessitates the accurate characterisation of dielectric properties of the liver and adjacent abdominal tissues. Since postmortem changes or prolonged storage significantly change those properties and lead to incorrect interpretation, fresh human abdominal tissues, including skin, fat, muscle, and liver, were obtained at surgery, and their dielectric properties were measured immediately in the microwave frequency range of 0.5 GHz to 15 GHz. An adaptive weighted vector mean optimization algorithm was used to derive the parameters of a second-order Cole-Cole model using the experimental data. Statistical and cluster analyses were performed on the curated database following the derived model. The results showed that hepatic steatosis significantly changed the dielectric properties of the liver (p < 0.001). Moreover, the liver had distinct dielectric properties from the skin, fat, and muscle tissues (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that electromagnetic sensors could be used to assess liver health in a non-invasive way, which could improve liver health outcomes and reduce costs.
Published in: IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology ( Volume: 9, Issue: 1, March 2025)
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Md. Abdul Awal received the B.Sc. degree in electronics and communication engineering (ECE) from Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh, in 2009, the M.Sc. degree in biomedical engineering from the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna, in 2011, and the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2018. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fello...Show More
Md. Abdul Awal received the B.Sc. degree in electronics and communication engineering (ECE) from Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh, in 2009, the M.Sc. degree in biomedical engineering from the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna, in 2011, and the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2018. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fello...View more
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Azin S. Janani received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in biomedical engineering from Amirkabir University (Tehran Poly-Technique), Tehran, Iran, in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia, in 2019. She joined the Electromagnetic Research Group, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, as a Postdoctoral Fellow, in 2019. Her research interests include si...Show More
Azin S. Janani received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in biomedical engineering from Amirkabir University (Tehran Poly-Technique), Tehran, Iran, in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia, in 2019. She joined the Electromagnetic Research Group, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, as a Postdoctoral Fellow, in 2019. Her research interests include si...View more
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Sasan Ahdi Rezaeieh (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2016, with a focus on the design of electromagnetic torso scanner systems. His research interests include the design and miniaturization of several types of metamaterial, metasurface, and pattern reconfigurable antennas for electromagnetic medical diagnostic systems. He was the recipient of the IEEE...Show More
Sasan Ahdi Rezaeieh (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2016, with a focus on the design of electromagnetic torso scanner systems. His research interests include the design and miniaturization of several types of metamaterial, metasurface, and pattern reconfigurable antennas for electromagnetic medical diagnostic systems. He was the recipient of the IEEE...View more
Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woollongabba, QLD, Australia
Translational Research Institute and the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Graeme A. Macdonald is currently a Senior Staff Specialist with the Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Member of the Queensland Liver Transplant Service, and Professor of medicine with the Medical School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. His clinical interests are predominantly in liver disease and he provides clinical services in general hepatology, and the care of patients' pre- and po...Show More
Graeme A. Macdonald is currently a Senior Staff Specialist with the Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Member of the Queensland Liver Transplant Service, and Professor of medicine with the Medical School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. His clinical interests are predominantly in liver disease and he provides clinical services in general hepatology, and the care of patients' pre- and po...View more
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Amin Abbosh (Fellow, IEEE) received the higher doctorate (D.Eng.) degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2013. He held the position of Director of Research and Head of the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland. He is currently a Professor and leads the Electromagnetic Innovations (EMAGIN) Group. Throughout his career, he has made significa...Show More
Amin Abbosh (Fellow, IEEE) received the higher doctorate (D.Eng.) degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2013. He held the position of Director of Research and Head of the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland. He is currently a Professor and leads the Electromagnetic Innovations (EMAGIN) Group. Throughout his career, he has made significa...View more
Contents School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Md. Abdul Awal received the B.Sc. degree in electronics and communication engineering (ECE) from Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh, in 2009, the M.Sc. degree in biomedical engineering from the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna, in 2011, and the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2018. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Electromagnetic Innovation Group, The University of Queensland, and researching multiple projects. He has more than 50 publications published in internationally recognized journals and conferences. His research interests include signal processing, especially biomedical signal processing, Big Data analysis, image processing, time-frequency analysis, machine learning algorithms, deep learning, optimization, and computational intelligence in biomedical engineering. Recently, he has been awarded the Early Career Philanthropic Grant for non-invasive skin cancer detection and classification.
Md. Abdul Awal received the B.Sc. degree in electronics and communication engineering (ECE) from Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh, in 2009, the M.Sc. degree in biomedical engineering from the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna, in 2011, and the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2018. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Electromagnetic Innovation Group, The University of Queensland, and researching multiple projects. He has more than 50 publications published in internationally recognized journals and conferences. His research interests include signal processing, especially biomedical signal processing, Big Data analysis, image processing, time-frequency analysis, machine learning algorithms, deep learning, optimization, and computational intelligence in biomedical engineering. Recently, he has been awarded the Early Career Philanthropic Grant for non-invasive skin cancer detection and classification.View more
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Azin S. Janani received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in biomedical engineering from Amirkabir University (Tehran Poly-Technique), Tehran, Iran, in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia, in 2019. She joined the Electromagnetic Research Group, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, as a Postdoctoral Fellow, in 2019. Her research interests include signal processing, disease classification, and computer-aided diagnosis system development. Dr. Janani was the recipient of the Australian Endeavor Postgraduate Scholarship in 2016 for her Ph.D. studies.
Azin S. Janani received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in biomedical engineering from Amirkabir University (Tehran Poly-Technique), Tehran, Iran, in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia, in 2019. She joined the Electromagnetic Research Group, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, as a Postdoctoral Fellow, in 2019. Her research interests include signal processing, disease classification, and computer-aided diagnosis system development. Dr. Janani was the recipient of the Australian Endeavor Postgraduate Scholarship in 2016 for her Ph.D. studies.View more
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Sasan Ahdi Rezaeieh (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2016, with a focus on the design of electromagnetic torso scanner systems. His research interests include the design and miniaturization of several types of metamaterial, metasurface, and pattern reconfigurable antennas for electromagnetic medical diagnostic systems. He was the recipient of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Doctoral Research Award in 2014, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Letters Outstanding Reviewer Award in 2018, and the Prestigious Advance Queensland Fellowship jointly funded by the Queensland Government, Australia, and The University of Queensland.
Sasan Ahdi Rezaeieh (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2016, with a focus on the design of electromagnetic torso scanner systems. His research interests include the design and miniaturization of several types of metamaterial, metasurface, and pattern reconfigurable antennas for electromagnetic medical diagnostic systems. He was the recipient of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Doctoral Research Award in 2014, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Letters Outstanding Reviewer Award in 2018, and the Prestigious Advance Queensland Fellowship jointly funded by the Queensland Government, Australia, and The University of Queensland.View more
Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woollongabba, QLD, Australia
Translational Research Institute and the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Graeme A. Macdonald is currently a Senior Staff Specialist with the Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Member of the Queensland Liver Transplant Service, and Professor of medicine with the Medical School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. His clinical interests are predominantly in liver disease and he provides clinical services in general hepatology, and the care of patients' pre- and post-liver transplantation and is involved in the steatotic liver disease arm of the Departmental Integrated Care Clinics. He has supervised 15 Ph.D. scholars and authored or coauthored more than 120 articles and book chapters. His research interests include the assessment and management of obesity-related liver disease (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and the assessment and management of sarcopenia and frailty in potential liver transplant recipients and patients with liver disease more generally. Dr. Macdonald has received peer-reviewed funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Cancer Council of Queensland, and other funding bodies.
Graeme A. Macdonald is currently a Senior Staff Specialist with the Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Member of the Queensland Liver Transplant Service, and Professor of medicine with the Medical School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. His clinical interests are predominantly in liver disease and he provides clinical services in general hepatology, and the care of patients' pre- and post-liver transplantation and is involved in the steatotic liver disease arm of the Departmental Integrated Care Clinics. He has supervised 15 Ph.D. scholars and authored or coauthored more than 120 articles and book chapters. His research interests include the assessment and management of obesity-related liver disease (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and the assessment and management of sarcopenia and frailty in potential liver transplant recipients and patients with liver disease more generally. Dr. Macdonald has received peer-reviewed funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Cancer Council of Queensland, and other funding bodies.View more
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Amin Abbosh (Fellow, IEEE) received the higher doctorate (D.Eng.) degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2013. He held the position of Director of Research and Head of the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland. He is currently a Professor and leads the Electromagnetic Innovations (EMAGIN) Group. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to the field of electromagnetic imaging, wideband passive microwave devices, and planar antennas. His extensive research has resulted in the publication of more than 500 articles. In recognition of his outstanding work, he has been honoured twice with the prestigious IEEE AP-S King Prize for the Best Paper published in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. He was an Associate Editor, or Senior Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation and IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters for six years.
Amin Abbosh (Fellow, IEEE) received the higher doctorate (D.Eng.) degree from The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in 2013. He held the position of Director of Research and Head of the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland. He is currently a Professor and leads the Electromagnetic Innovations (EMAGIN) Group. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to the field of electromagnetic imaging, wideband passive microwave devices, and planar antennas. His extensive research has resulted in the publication of more than 500 articles. In recognition of his outstanding work, he has been honoured twice with the prestigious IEEE AP-S King Prize for the Best Paper published in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. He was an Associate Editor, or Senior Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation and IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters for six years.View more
