New laser probe identifies brain cancer cells in real time
Fiber optic probe for Raman spectroscopy. The diagram (upper left) illustrates the excitation of different molecular species, such as cholesterol and DNA, to produce the Raman spectra of cancer versus normal brain tissue. A simple molecular vibrational mode is conceptually depicted (upper right, individual atoms in blue and green) interacting with the laser light (in red) to produce Raman scattering (in purple). (credit: Michael Jermyn et al./ Sci. Transl. Med.)
Kurzweil: Accelerating Intelligence, February 16, 2015
A handheld Raman spectroscopy probe can detect cancer cells that infiltrate healthy tissue
Neurosurgeons need all the help they can get to remove brain cancer tumors. If they leave cancer cells behind, the tumors can regrow. Finding cancer cells can be particularly difficult with infiltrative cancers such as glioma, which invades surrounding brain tissue.