(Ivanhoe Newswire) – A new imaging technique could help doctors get a
better view of tumors.
Stanford researchers developed a specially designed dye containing nanoparticles
– tiny particles between 1 and 100 nanometers in diameter. The new technology
picks up Raman signals that molecules emit in response to light, which occur
when energy levels of electrons are modified by weak interactions within a
molecule.
Current imaging technology, known as single-cell flow cytometry, can produce as
many as 17 simultaneous visualizations. The new nanoparticle imaging could
simultaneously image as many as 100 features within a single cell.
Using the technology, scientists may be able to better diagnose cancers by
determining how aggressive the tumor’s cells are and identifying a tumor cell’s
stage of progression and resistance to chemotherapy drugs, helping them test
cancer treatments more quickly.
Further research is needed to fully develop the new technology.
SOURCE: PLoS ONE, published online April 15, 2009
