Fluorescent probe for oral cancer
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - 11:35
in Biology & Nature
The probe stimulates molecules in the patient's tissues with a laser. Some of these molecules naturally respond by re-emitting fluorescent light. The device rapidly detects and analyzes this light using a process called "time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy." By using sensitive measurements of the change in fluorescence over time, surgeons can see the tumor margins even as they are cutting the tissue.