Butterfly Vision Aids in Tumor Removal

Apr-08-18 Butterfly vision has inspired a surgical camera that can help surgeons ensure all cancerous tissue has been removed.

Typically, surgeons rely on sight and touch to identify cancerous tissue, though some centers also use near-infrared fluorescent agents that bind to tumors to make them visible on specialized displays. However, those devices can be too costly for small hospitals.

To make the technology more available, a team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University developed an affordable camera able to detect the infrared signals emitted by tumor-binding dyes. Based on the nanostructures in the morpho butterfly’s eye that enable it to detect near-infrared, the camera connects to the surgeon’s goggles, allowing the surgeon to see the dye and remove the tumor effectively.

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[CO.UK]
[SCIENCEDAILY.CO]

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