Vibrational Microspectroscopy Detects Presence of Metastatic Cancer Cells

An automatic method based on vibrational microspectroscopy identifies the presence of metastatic cancer cells without the need for staining, and without human input.

The method aids classical cytology (where visual inspection is used to detect changes in the morphology of cells obtained from bodily fluids, exfoliation, or thin needle biopsy) and classical pathology (where stained tissue sections are examined visually). As disease changes the chemical composition of the cell, the newly developed instrument is able to detect variations in cellular properties without the need to stain the slides and inspect them visually.

The machine-based and computer-interpreted technology, which enhances the accuracy and alleviates the physical strain on the human observer, was developed by scientists from the department of chemistry and chemical biology and the Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSISS) at Northeastern University (Boston, MA, USA). "The idea behind the methodology is to examine the chemical composition of cells, as opposed to relying solely on the morphology,” said Prof. Max Diem from the chemistry and chemical biology department. "Abnormalities in exfoliated cells, for instance in Pap smears, can be difficult to discern visually, however, by looking at the biochemical composition of the cell with the help of vibrational spectroscopy, we can detect specific cellular changes indicating cancer.”

The investigators are working on developing an operating room-based instrument that will produce a diagnosis of breast cancer cells in the axillary lymph nodes within 15 minutes after excision. The goal is to produce instrumentation and software that can analyze lymph node sections in the operating room, and provide the surgeon with an objective diagnosis of the spread of disease.


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