New Technique Provides Quick Tumor Diagnosis During Brain Surgeries, University of Michigan Study

If a tumor is suspected during brain surgery, it takes 30-40 minutes from the time of removing the sample from the patient’s brain to the time of diagnosis. The sample is taken through a rigorous process of tissue sectioning, staining, mounting, and interpretation by pathologists. Researchers from University of Michigan have now developed an imaging technique that could significantly reduce the time taken for such diagnoses. The method, called Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) microscopy, was developed in 2008, but due to the hazardous nature of lasers, they could not be used in a clinical setting. In a paper published recently in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the researchers explain the use of fiber-lasers to make the system compatible with clinical use.