Insights into atherosclerosis
How diseased blood vessels 'talk' to the brain
An international team has for the first time demonstrated that nerve signals are exchanged between clogged up arteries and the brain.
Search for: "Fluorescence imaging" - 143 articles found
Regenerative medicine
Injectable stem cell assembly for cartilage regeneration
Researchers have established an injectable hybrid inorganic nanoscaffold-templated stem cell assembly and applied it to the regeneration of critically-sized cartilage defects.
Aspergillosis monitoring
Chip-based model to observe fungal spread in the lung
A chip-based infection model developed by Jena researchers enables live microscopic observation of damage to lung tissue caused by the invasive fungal infection aspergillosis.
Point-of-care testing
POCT: a “win-win” scenario for all involved
Point-of-care testing (POCT) is a “win-win” scenario for patients and healthcare professionals in delivering care when and where it is needed, according to pathologist Adil Khan, MSc, PhD.
No more biopsies?
3D microscope reveals features in living tissues
MediSCAPE, a high-speed 3D microscope, can see real-time cellular detail in living tissues to guide surgery, speed up tissue analyses, and improve treatments.
Genetic dystrophy repair
Using mRNA to improve muscle strength
An ECRC research team has introduced CRISPR-Cas9 into human muscle stem cells for the first time using mRNA, thus discovering a method suitable for therapeutic applications.
Neuroimaging
MRI probe reveals brain’s inner workings
Using a novel probe for functional magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have devised a way to monitor individual populations of neurons and reveal how they interact with each other.
Cancer research
Transparent ultrasound chip improves imaging
A biocompatible ultrasound transducer chip could be a more effective way to harness the technology for biomedical applications.
Neuropeptide research
Fluorescent biosensor to shed light on narcolepsy
Researchers in Zurich have developed a fluorescent orexin biosensor to observe on of the brain's signaling molecules "live" to gain insights into constant daytime sleepiness (narcolepsy).
Cardiology insights
Lab-grown heart cells 'mimic' disease in vitro
Heart cells from a patient with an inherited heart disease called arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy do not contract correctly when grown in the laboratory, researchers from Osaka University have found.
Multiple tumor tissue biomarkers
MOSAICA: next-generation biopsy technology
A new biopsy tool will enable scientists and clinicians to simultaneously profile many biomarkers in cells and tissues.
Potential game-changer
Telling COVID-19 apart from influenza
Researchers have developed a diagnostic for SARS-CoV-2 that is capable of differentiating between COVID-19 and the garden-variety bug with fast turnaround.
Super-resolution miscroscopy
PEAR: setting nano-imaging in motion
Ever since the Abbe diffraction limit of conventional microscopy has been surpassed, super-resolution techniques have been diving ever deeper into the most miniscule details of molecular structures. We spoke with Prof. Dominic Zerulla, whose company PEARlabs is developing an imaging technique that sets out to push the boundaries once more – by looking at in-vivo nano-scale processes in motion.
Hazardous materials
Microplastic pollution aids antibiotic resistance
According to scientists at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering, discarded polystyrene broken down into microplastics provides a cozy home not only for microbes and chemical contaminants but also for the free-floating genetic materials that deliver to bacteria the gift of resistance.
Scanner
Hamamatsu Photonics – NanoZoomer S60
Highlights:The NanoZoomer S60 delivers the perfect combination of flexibility, excellent image quality and high speed scanning. It scans double-size slides or standard-size slides and supports brightfield and fluorescence imaging.Scanning Speed:20x mode (15 × 15 mm) approx. 60 s40x mode (15 × 15 mm) approx. 150 s Capacity: 60 standard slides, 30 double size…
An estimated 800,000 deaths in 2030
Warning of looming global liver disease pandemic
Professor Dina Tiniakos, from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, predicts that NASH (Non-alcohol related steatohepatitis) cases will soar worldwide by 2030, with 800,000 liver deaths, costing health economies billions of dollars.
Pre-, post- and interoperative
Wearable devices in the surgical environment
Wearable technology has become an important part of medicine, from tracking vital signs to disease diagnosis. In surgery, wearable technologies can now assist, augment, and provide a means of patient assessment before, during and after surgical procedures. Wearable technologies are applied before the patient even reaches the operating room, for example in prehabilitation, i.e. pre-treatment…
Blindness prevention
Blue is the clue for diabetic retinopathy risk
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) demonstrate a thorough and non-invasive imaging technique to identify areas of the eye affected by diabetic retinopathy (DR), a progressive eye disease associated with diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. The researchers have found that blue light can be used to probe the depths of the eye and uncover areas affected by DR.
Microscopy enhanced
3D imaging of human organs with micrometer resolution
Researchers at Umeå University now demonstrate a method by which specific cell types in human organs can be studied with micrometer precision. The method can be used to reveal previously unrecognised alterations in the pancreas, but it can also be used to study other human organs and diseases.
Biological image analysis
Machine learning accelerates super-resolution microscopy
Scientists use super-resolution microscopy to study previously undiscovered cellular worlds, revealing nanometer-scale details inside cells. This method revolutionized light microscopy and earned its inventors the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In an international collaboration, AI researchers from Tübingen have now developed an algorithm that significantly accelerates this technology.
Genome editing
Using CRISPR to speed up Covid-19 testing
A research team led by scientists in the labs of Jennifer Doudna, David Savage and Patrick Hsu at the University of California, Berkeley, is aiming to develop a rapid Covid-19 diagnostic test that is much faster and easier to deploy than qRT-PCR. It has now combined two different types of CRISPR enzymes to create an assay that can detect small amounts of viral RNA in less than an hour. Doudna…
Hydrogel framework
Synthetic tissue with growing blood vessels developed
Using lab-created tissue to heal or replace damaged organs is one of the great visions for the future of medicine. Synthetic materials could be suitable as scaffolding for tissue because, unlike natural tissues, they remain stable in the organism long enough for the body to form new natural structures. A fundamental requirement for functional tissue is that blood vessels must be able to grow in…
Advanced care
This 'smart' wound dressing monitors the healing process with built-in sensors
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed smart wound dressings with built-in nanosensors that glow to alert patients when a wound is not healing properly. The multifunctional, antimicrobial dressings feature fluorescent sensors that glow brightly under UV light if infection starts to set in and can be used to monitor healing progress.
AI-assisted analysis
Prediciting viral infections with microscopy & deep learning
When viruses infect cells, changes in the cell nucleus occur, and these can be observed through fluorescence microscopy. Using fluoresence images from live cells, researchers at the University of Zurich have trained an artificial neural network to reliably recognize cells that are infected by adenoviruses or herpes viruses. The procedure also identifies severe acute infections at an early stage.
Neuroscience
A deep dive into the brain
Researchers from ETH Zurich and University of Zurich have developed a new microscopy technique that lights up the brain with high resolution imagery. This allows neuroscientists to study brain functions and ailments more closely and non-invasively.
Targeted drug delivery
'Soft X‑ray' method opens up ways for smart nano-medicine
Before the huge potential of tiny nanocarriers for highly targeted drug delivery and environmental clean-up can be realized, scientists first need to be able to see them. Currently researchers have to rely on attaching fluorescent dyes or heavy metals to label parts of organic nanocarrier structures for investigation, often changing them in the process. A new technique using chemically-sensitive…
Microscopy
New imaging technique to improve 3D printed bio-implants
University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new microscopic imaging approach to take a closer look at 3D-printing for developing future patient implants, as well as improved disease modelling and drug screening. Additive manufacturing (3D printing) platforms create bioprinted structures by moving a special bioink, containing cells, biomolecules and materials, through a narrow tube, but…
Sponsored • 1-Hour-RT-PCR
Detect SARS-CoV-2 on the Fluxergy Platform
Now Available: The Fluxergy Analyzer System is a testing platform designed for sample-to-answer point-of-care testing, enabling clinicians to cost-effectively conduct molecular in vitro diagnostic tests. The analyzer system is designed to deliver test results within one hour. This device is solely intended to be used by healthcare professionals.
Surgical robotics
Elevating outcomes of surgery
What’s in a name? In the case of Asensus Surgical, Inc., previously known as TransEnterix, Inc., the recent rebranding doubles as a mission statement for the manufacturer of surgical robotics systems: The initial ‘A’ stands for artificial intelligence and augmented surgery, reflecting the company’s emphasis on new technologies designed to enhance the operator’s cognition (‘sensus’…
Multiphoton microscopy gives new insights
Microscopic behaviour of developing breast cells uncovered
An improved high-tech fluorescence microscopy technique is allowing researchers to film cells inside the breast as never seen before. This new protocol provides detailed instructions on how to capture hi-res movies of cell movement, division and cooperation, in hard-to-reach regions of breast tissue. The technology – called multiphoton microscopy – uses infrared lasers to illuminate…
Physics of tumours
How cancer cells shape-shift to squeeze through tissue
Working with colleagues from Germany and the US, researchers at Leipzig University have achieved a breakthrough in research into how cancer cells spread. In experiments, the team of biophysicists led by Professor Josef Alfons Käs, Steffen Grosser and Jürgen Lippoldt demonstrated for the first time how cells deform in order to move in dense tumour tissues and squeeze past neighbouring cells. The…
Advancing diagnostic accuracy
PSMA PET/CT in prostate cancer evaluation
Hybrid PET/CT imaging can fully play to its strengths and steer treatment towards more effective procedures for diagnosing prostate cancer. The examination of the specific antigen PSMA with hybrid PET imaging enables treatment monitoring with significantly higher diagnostic accuracy than conventional imaging and therefore, Professor Clemens Cyran believes, will soon become the standard diagnostic…
New microscopy approach
A smartphone-based test for Covid-19
Researchers at the University of Arizona are developing a Covid-19 testing method that uses a smartphone microscope to analyze saliva samples and deliver results in about 10 minutes. The research team, led by biomedical engineering professor Jeong-Yeol Yoon, aims to combine the speed of existing nasal swab antigen tests with the high accuracy of nasal swab PCR, or polymerase chain reaction,…
Surgical endoscopy
Olympus to acquire Quest Photonic Devices
Olympus Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Quest Photonic Devices B.V. for up to EUR50 million including milestone payments to strengthen its surgical endoscopy capabilities. Quest offers advanced fluorescence imaging systems (FIS) for the medical field, enabling more surgical endoscopy capabilities, compared to conventional imaging technologies.
Correlative light, electron and ion microscopy in tissue
New imaging method reveals bacteria hiding from antibiotics
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Western Australia have developed a new imaging method to see where antibiotics have reached bacteria within tissues. The method could be used to help develop more effective antibiotic treatments, reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance.
Resecting brain tumours
Benefits of ultrasound in neurosurgical oncology
Italian neurosurgeon Professor Francesco Di Meco, explored the current and potential role of intra-operative ultrasound in neurosurgical oncology during the annual meeting of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) this October. The extent of resection is considered a prognostic factor in operative neuro oncology surgery and image-guided surgery is being regarded as one of the…
Improving imaging
Light up diseases with 'photonic lanterns'
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University have developed a new technique that will allow medical professionals to see disease deep inside the human body in 10 times more detail. Professor Robert Thomson and his team want to improve endoscopies, when long, thin optical fibres are used to look inside the body. The new technique will open up a route to unprecedented imaging resolution, says Thomson, and…
Immune reponse to COVID-19
‘Mini-lungs’ reveal early stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection
‘Mini-lungs’ grown from tissue donated to Cambridge hospitals has provided a team of scientists from South Korea and the UK with important insights into how COVID-19 damages the lungs. Writing in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the researchers detail the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and the early innate immune response in the lungs.
Mechanisms identified
Fanconi anaemia: Researchers find reason for bone marrow failure
Researchers at the University of Helsinki and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified the mechanism behind bone marrow failure developing in children that suffer from Fanconi anaemia. The findings will help to develop new therapies for the disorder.
After coronavirus infection
Study reveals why people with COVID-19 may lose their sense of smell
Researchers studying tissue removed from patients noses during surgery believe they may have discovered the reason why so many people with COVID-19 lose their sense of smell, even when they have no other symptoms. In their experiments they found extremely high levels of angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE-2) only in the area of the nose responsible for smelling. This Enzyme is thought to be the…
Joint study shows
Endoprothetic risk: Metals from implants can accumulate in bone tissue
Using highly complex analytical techniques, a group of researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin were able to observe in detail how different metals are released from joint implants and accumulate in the surrounding bone tissue. Findings showed a steady release of metals from various implant components. In contrast to previous assumptions, this was not related to the degree of…
Temporal pressure
"Micropores": A new way to deliver drugs through the skin
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have showed that applying “temporal pressure” to the skin of mice can create a new way to deliver drugs. In a paper published in Science Advances, the researchers showed that bringing together two magnets so that they pinch and apply pressure to a fold of…
Cervical cancer
3D imaging system accelerates cancer diagnosis
Researchers have developed a novel three-dimensional imaging system to diagnose cervical cancer faster, non-invasively and more efficiently than conventional methods.
COVID-19 detection
New analyzer detects virus antibodies in 20 minutes
Researchers at Hokkaido University have succeeded in detecting anti-avian influenza virus antibody in blood serum within 20 minutes, using a portable analyzer they have developed to conduct rapid on-site bio tests. If a suitable reagent is developed, this technology could be used to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19.
Optical coherence tomography
Retinal texture could provide early biomarker of Alzheimer's disease
New imaging technique combines two technologies to spot early warning signs of Alzehimer's disease in mice.
Smart algorithm
Automated analysis of whole brain vasculature
Diseases of the brain are often associated with typical vascular changes. Now, scientists at LMU University Hospital Munich, Helmholtz Research Centre for Environmental Health and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have come up with a technique for visualising the structures of all the brain's blood vessels – right down to the finest capillaries – including any pathological changes. So…
Glioblastoma
New imaging technique to study 3D printed brain tumors
Glioblastomas are complex, fast-growing malignant brain tumors that are made up of various types of cells. Even with aggressive treatment — which often includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy — glioblastomas are difficult to treat, leading to an average survival of 11-15 months. In research published in Science Advances, Xavier Intes, a professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer,…
Exposing the enemy
New algorithm detects even the smallest cancer metastases
Teams at Helmholtz Zentrum München, LMU Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new algorithm that enables automated detection of metastases at the level of single disseminated cancer cells in whole mice. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. More than 90% of cancer patients die of distal metastases rather than as a direct result of the primary…
Imaging the brain
Ultra-miniaturized endoscope produces HQ images
Johns Hopkins engineers have created a new lens-free ultra-miniaturized endoscope, the size of a few human hairs in width, that is less bulky and can produce higher quality images. Their findings were published in Science Advances. “Usually, you have sacrifice either size or image quality. We’ve been able to achieve both with our microendoscope,” says Mark Foster, an associate professor of…
Inhalation visualised
New imaging tech gives insights into pulmonary drug delivery
Inhalation therapy is widely used for the treatment of lung diseases. Targeting of drugs to the site of disease is a major goal to improve drug efficacy and minimize side effects. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich have now shown that combined insight from various imaging methods allows for real-time monitoring of the dynamic process of drug…
Inherited neuromuscular disease HSP
Genetic cause for hereditary spastic paraplegia identified
Scientists at St George’s, University of London, in collaboration with researchers from Germany, the USA, Tunisia and Iran have identified a new gene associated with the neuromuscular disorder, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). The study, published in Nature Communications, also highlights a potential mechanism for the disease, which is already being targeted in drug trials for Alzheimer’s…
Male infertility
Chlamydia discovered in testicular tissue
The potential impact of undiagnosed sexually transmitted chlamydia infection on men’s fertility has been highlighted in an Australian-led study, which for the first time found chlamydia in the testicular tissue biopsies of infertile men whose infertility had no identified cause. The researchers from Queensland University of Technology also found antibodies specific to the bacteria responsible,…
Advanced chemistry
Enhancing sensors that could help cure Alzheimer's and Diabetes
Viscosity sensors are used by scientists fighting various diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Diabetes. Vilnius-based chemist Aurimas Vyšniauskas has enhanced their measuring capabilities. This breakthrough will equip researchers with additional tools to study living cells and how they change in a sick organism.
t-MALDI-2
Dual-beam laser mass spectrometry gives unique insights
Cells are the basic building blocks of life – and, as such, they have been the object of intense study since the invention of the optical microscope in the 17th century. The development of mass spectrometry (MS) methods – those which define the chemical composition of cells – represented a further milestone for research in the field of cell biology. In the latest issue of the journal Nature…
In focus
Universal algorithm set to boost microscopes
Scientists from EPFL have developed an algorithm that can determine whether a super-resolution microscope is operating at maximum resolution based on a single image. The method is compatible with all types of microscopes and could one day be a standard feature of automated models.
Biosensors
Using smartphones to detect norovirus
A little bit of norovirus – the highly infectious microbe that causes about 20 million cases of food poisoning in the United States each year – goes a long way. Just 10 particles of the virus can cause illness in humans. A team of University of Arizona researchers has created a simple, portable and inexpensive method for detecting extremely low levels of norovirus. Jeong-Yeol Yoon, a…
Alternative ways
Plan B for cholesterol transport
Kiel biochemistry research team proves the existence of a previously unknown alternative cholesterol transport mechanism inside cells. Cholesterol is a vital cell building block in humans and animals, and an integral part of the so-called cell membrane. This boundary layer separates the interior of the cell from the neighbouring cells and the surrounding environment. By means of certain proteins,…
Ultra-thin and polished
Next-generation objectives push boundaries of microscopy
Olympus has broken down barriers to imaging quality with the launch of its next-generation objectives. The breakthrough polishing technique enables the company to produce ultra-thin lenses that overcome the traditional trade-off between numerical aperture (NA), flatness and chromatic correction – enabling all three parameters to be significantly improved. Olympus has harnessed this proprietary…
Sponsored • Hematology
Early sepsis indicator helps identifying patients at risk
The critical element of testing for sepsis lies not so much in the location but in the timing and rapidity of results, according to Professor Jeannine T. Holden from Beckman Coulter Early identification enables treatment protocols to be delivered more quickly, offering better patient outcomes. Those most at risk, suggests Holden, are not patients within the intensive care unit – who are already…
Sponsored • Sysmex
With the UN-Series, the choice is yours
Using urine to obtain diagnostic insights has been done for thousands of years and still remains an important tool to obtain crucial information. Covering a range of tests, urinalysis may be used to screen for or help to diagnose ailments such as urinary tract infections, kidney disorders, liver problems, diabetes or other medical conditions, just to name a few. Because urinalysis has been around…
Brain tumor
Scorpion venom makes tumor surgery even better
A novel imaging technique that uses a synthesized form of scorpion venom to light up brain tumors has shown promise in a clinical trial. The imaging system enables neurosurgeons to better see malignant growths that often are difficult to fully eliminate.
Medical body painting
A fluorescent way to teach anatomy
Body painting is considered by some to be the most ancient form of art. Its origins stem from tribal cultures, where its use was for ritual and ceremony. Today it is a familiar sight at carnivals and sporting events. It is also a frequently observed activity within the anatomy classrooms of medical schools around the world. But now lecturers at Hull York Medical School are pioneering the use of…
breast cancer
System images molecular features of cancer tissue in real-time
A team of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers led by Bioengineering Professor Stephen Boppart has successfully visualized the tumor microenvironment of human breast tissue shortly after it was surgically removed from a patient in the operating room. The researchers achieved this using a new portable optical imaging system developed in Boppart's lab.
Photonic endoscopy
Fibre probe explores the depth of our brain
This could be a major step towards a better understanding of the functions of deeply hidden brain compartments, such as the formation of memories, as well as related dysfunctions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) in Jena and the University of Edinburgh have succeeded in using a hair-thin fibre endoscope to gain insights…
Sponsored • Product of the month
Faster decision making with Olympus’ intelligent DP74 camera
Accelerate your workflow with the intelligent, high-resolution DP74 brightfield and fluorescence camera from Olympus. Histologists and pathologists face intense, rushed workloads where every minute counts. Experience enhanced efficiency with our next-generation camera. The DP74 creates a map of where you’ve been and can easily and rapidly lead you back to previous positions on the sample,…
Advanced materials
Nanocarriers open up to cancer
Nanosystems that deliver anticancer drugs or imaging materials to tumours are showing significant progress, particularly those that respond to tumour-related stimuli, according to a review published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. However, further research is still required to make sure these delivery systems are stable, non-toxic and biodegradable. Nanocarriers…
Sponsored • Innovation
Hematology: Advancements and future trends
While the role of the laboratory in disease diagnosis and management has expanded in recent years, causing an overwhelming rise in testing demands, the availability of skilled technologists and specialists has been diminishing. To meet the needs of an overworked and increasingly generalized workforce, today’s products not only must deliver more clinical data than ever before, but also must be…
Sponsored • Competition
Olympus Image of the Year – Celebrating art in science
Olympus’ Image of the Year Award for light microscopy in Europe recognizes the very best in life science imaging. Inspired by the beauty and breadth of images submitted for Image of the Year 2017, Olympus is now continuing its quest for the best light microscopy art in 2018. For the chance to win one of three prizes, applicants can submit life science light microscopy images to…
Cancer diagnostics
Progressing towards optical biopsy
Recognising malignant tissue remains a tricky task. While today, most patients undergo a biopsy, an invasive procedure where tissue is sampled, stained and assessed, researchers are exploring the potential of optical biopsy, the visual assessment of suspect tissue. The interest in optical biopsy ‘is indeed enormous,’ confirms Dr Thomas Bocklitz, physicist at Friedrich-Schiller University in…
Experimental drug
Fighting Hepatitis B with 'virus-cracking' molecules
Indiana University researchers have made an important step forward in the design of drugs that fight the hepatitis B virus, which can cause liver failure and liver cancer. It's estimated that 2 billion people worldwide have had a hepatitis B virus infection in their lifetime, with about 250 million -- including 2 million Americans -- living with chronic infection. Although a vaccine exists, there…
Smart techniques
Machine learning is starting to reach levels of human performance
Machine learning is playing an increasing role in computer-aided diagnosis, and Big Data is beginning to penetrate oncological imaging. However, some time may pass before it truly impacts on clinical practice, according to leading UK-based German researcher Professor Julia Schnabel, who spoke during the last ESMRMB annual meeting. Machine learning techniques are starting to reach levels of human…
Risk for pregnancy
How Zika infection drives fetal demise
A powerful antiviral protein may act as a checkpoint for keeping or ending a pregnancy. When exposed to Zika virus before birth, mouse fetuses with the protein commit cell suicide, while fetuses without it continued to develop. The result, published in Science Immunology, suggests that the protein, a receptor involved in immune cell signaling, plays a role in spontaneous abortions and other human…
Wound care
European launch of handheld imaging technology
Smith & Nephew, the global medical technology business, announces the European launch of MolecuLight i:X, the easy to use, handheld imaging device that instantly measures wound surface area and visualises the presence and distribution of potentially harmful bacteria in wounds. Currently wound assessments are made with the naked eye which can lack the accuracy required to most effectively…
Neurotransmissions
Nanosensors uncloak the mysteries of brain chemistry
Nanosensors are incredible information-gathering tools for myriad applications, including molecular targets such as the brain. Neurotransmitter molecules govern brain function through chemistry found deep within the brain, so University of California, Berkeley researchers are developing nanosensors to gain a better understanding of exactly how this all plays out. During the AVS 64th…
Intraoperative molecular imaging
Tumor dye makes cancerous lymph nodes glow during surgery
Surgeons at Penn Medicine are using a fluorescent dye that makes cancerous cells glow in hopes of identifying suspicious lymph nodes during head and neck cancer procedures. Led by Jason G. Newman, MD, FACS, an associate professor of Otorhinolaryngology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the study is the first in the world to look at the effectiveness of…
Digital pathology
Boosting diagnostic accuracy and efficiency
Certain members of Generation Y, who grew up alongside enormous information technology (IT) advances, now occupy decision-making roles. Meanwhile, generation Z is emerging into the continuing IT revolution; the digital world surrounds us.
Achieving a faster workflow
A modular approach to urinalysis
The reasons why doctors request urinary analysis are varied – perhaps to detect a possible or suspected infection, or to screen for kidney diseases. In all cases a reliable and rapid result is the major aim. Urinary microscopy and culture have been the mainstays of urinary analysis for many, many years both of which require time and specialist handling.
Microscopy
New Olympus BX53 microscope with True Color LED
Olympus’ new BX53 microscope provides bright, sharp images with excellent color rendering performance equivalent to halogen lamps. The long-life LED light source, the True Color LED, is brighter and more uniform than a 100-watt halogen bulb – matching every contrast method and providing bright images to multi-head discussion systems for up to 26 people.
Multimodal optical spectroscopy
An infallible hand-held probe to aid cancer surgery
Canadian researchers have invented an intraoperative probe that reliably detects multiple types of tumour cells.
Time-lapse microscopy
Image correction software simplifies quantification of stem cells
Today, tracking the development of individual cells and spotting the associated factors under the microscope is nothing unusual. However, impairments like shadows or changes in the background complicate the interpretation of data. Now, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München have developed a software that corrects images to make hitherto hidden…
Light microscopy
An image is worth a thousand words
Light microscopy today offers a wealth of techniques that provide fascinating insights into life on subcellular level. “In light microscopy these days there are so many new techniques that each of us can only handle a subset of them,” says Christian Tischer, scientific officer in der Advanced Light Microscopy Facility of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany,…
Sponsored • Microscopy
Olympus’ CX3 series: Get comfortable in your routine
Ideal for high-throughput, regular use, Olympus’ ergonomic CX43 and CX33 microscopes deliver superior comfort and reduce fatigue during long periods of routine microscopy.
Deep Learning
Deep Learning predicts hematopoietic stem cell development
Autonomous driving, automatic speech recognition, and the game Go: Deep Learning is generating more and more public awareness. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and their partners at ETH Zurich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now used it to determine the development of hematopoietic stem cells in advance. In ‘Nature Methods’ they describe how their software…
Microscopy
Intelligent imaging with Olympus’ DP74 camera
Helping to save time and increase comfort at the microscope, Olympus’ new DP74 camera delivers intelligent imaging with a range of innovative features designed to facilitate the workflow and enhance return on investment (ROI).
Positron emission tomography
New imaging method detects prostate cancer
An international group of researchers report success in mice of a method of using positron emission tomography (PET) scans to track, in real time, an antibody targeting a hormone receptor pathway specifically involved in prostate cancer.
Detecting bladder tumours
Photodynamic diagnosis locates the smallest tumours
Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy involving the urinary system and the ninth most common malignancy worldwide.
Oncology
Nanoparticle creates ‘wave of destruction’ in cancer cells
Nanoparticles known as Cornell dots, or C dots, have shown great promise as a therapeutic tool in the detection and treatment of cancer. Now, the ultrasmall particles – developed more than a dozen years ago by Ulrich Wiesner, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Engineering at Cornell University – have shown they can do something even better: kill cancer cells without attaching a cytotoxic drug.
Oncology
Nanovaccine could enhance cancer immunotherapy
NIBIB researchers have created a nanovaccine that could make a current approach to cancer immunotherapy more effective while also reducing side effects. The nanovaccine helps to efficiently deliver a unique DNA sequence to immune cells – a sequence derived from bacterial DNA and used to trigger an immune reaction. The nanovaccine also protects the DNA from being destroyed inside the body, where…
Plaques
Identifying a likely heart attack
UK researchers have identified a new approach, which could make it easier to identify fatty plaques that could cause heart attacks or a stroke.
BRIM
Technology helps ID aggressive early breast cancer
When a woman is diagnosed with the earliest stage of breast cancer, how aggressive should her treatment be? Will the non-invasive cancer become invasive? Or is it a slow-growing variety that will likely never be harmful? Researchers at the University of Michigan developed a new technology that can identify aggressive forms of ductal carcinoma in situ, or stage 0 breast cancer, from non-aggressive…
Handheld
Multiphoton microscope and endoscope could speed up diagnosis
Two new optical devices could reduce the need to take tissue samples during medical examinations and operations and to then send them for testing – potentially speeding up diagnosis and treatment and cutting healthcare costs.
Standards
We expect to see some changes
Strictly speaking, digital pathology has not yet resulted in any groundbreaking changes for clinical diagnostics. The conventional light microscope introduced to pathology around 100 years ago continues to be the most important tool for pathologists.
Microscopy
Digital pathology: a new diagnostic technology
Histopathologists play key roles in diagnosing disease entities and determining biomarkers related to the prognosis and response to specific therapy of malignant tumours. Report: Bela Molnar
Looking inside
A new method of viewing TB bacteria
Although tuberculosis (TB) is commonly thought of as being a disease that mainly affects nineteenth century poets and Victor Hugo characters, it is still the second-most common cause of mortality from an infectious disease in the world, killing nearly three people every minute.
Research
A pill could improve breast cancer diagnoses
The ongoing debate about breast cancer diagnostics has left many women confused — particularly over what age they should get mammograms and who needs treatment. An issue with current methods is that they often identify lumps but cannot conclusively pinpoint which ones are cancerous. To help resolve this uncertainty, researchers have developed a pill that could improve imaging techniques so that…
Glioblastoma
Imaging 'toolkit' to help identify new brain tumor drug targets
Stopping the growth of blood vessels in tumours is a key target for glioblastoma therapies, and imaging methods are essential for initial diagnosis and monitoring the effects of treatments. While mapping vessels in tumours has proven a challenge, researchers have now developed a combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultramicroscopy 'toolkit' to study vessel growth in glioma models in more…
Suitable protein tags for nanoscopy
Scientists of the Göttingen Cluster of Excellence CNMPB and the EMBL describe efficient fluorescence tag for super-resolution microscopy.
Fluorescent agent
Injectable agent illuminates cancer during surgery
Doctors at the Duke University School of Medicine have tested a new injectable agent that causes cancer cells in a tumor to fluoresce, potentially increasing a surgeon’s ability to locate and remove all of a cancerous tumor on the first attempt. The imaging technology was developed through collaboration with scientists at Duke, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Lumicell Inc.
Neurodegenerative diseases
The case of the sticky protein
Proteins are like a body’s in-house Lego set. These large, complex molecules are made up of building blocks called amino acids. Most of the time, proteins fold correctly, but sometimes they can misfold. This misfolding causes the proteins to get sticky, and that can promote clumping, or aggregation, which is the hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s and…
Quickly identifying tumors by using antibodies
Antibodies combat viruses and bacteria. They also attach themselves to cancer cells – in a typical, characteristic way. Fraunhofer scientists are using this property to detect cancer cells in tissue samples. Such rapid tests can already be applied by surgeons during operations – within a few minutes and without expensive equipment.
Surfing DNA
Enzyme catches a ride to fight infection
Scientists have shown for the first time that an enzyme crucial to keeping our immune system healthy “surfs” along the strands of DNA inside our cells. The researchers used extremely powerful microscopy to watch how the enzyme AID (activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase) moves around and interacts with other molecules.
Bladder
Effectiveness, safety and cost of fluorescence cystoscopy
Bladder cancer is associated with high recurrence rates, necessitating prolonged surveillance and repeated treatments. As a result, it is one of the most challenging and costly of all solid tumours to manage. Although most patients present at an early stage with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), between 13% and 61% will experience recurrence within 1 year of initial transurethral…
See trough bones
Uncover new details about blood-forming stem cells
A team of scientists at the Children’s Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) has become the first to use a tissue-clearing technique to localize a rare stem cell population, in the process cracking open a black box containing detailed information about where blood-forming stem cells are located and how they are maintained. The findings provide a significant advance toward understanding…
Pathology
Unlocking imaging potential
Automated image analysis shows significant potential within histopathology to help identify novel and subtle prognostic features. UK expert Dr Peter Caie also believes such image analysis can turn aspects of histopathology from a traditionally semi-quantitative field into a fully quantifiable and standardised science. However, he also points out that challenges remain before the full potential is…
During sleep
Could body posture affect how brain clears waste?
Stony Brook researchers publish experimental findings in the Journal of Neuroscience that show the lateral position more efficiently rids the brain of solutes that may contribute to disease.
Imaging glucose uptake inside single cells
Researchers at Columbia University have reported a new approach to visualize glucose uptake activity in single living cells by light microscopy with minimum disturbance.
Therapy
Molecular imaging mines deeper
The view across the Atlantic – it fills Professor Fabian Kiessling, Chair of Experimental Molecular Imaging at the RWTH Aachen (Rhine-Westphalia Institute of Technology Aachen), with optimism. The USA offers more opportunities for molecular imaging. Only recently, new tracers for Alzheimer’s were accepted as reimbursable in some centres, whilst the development of new diagnostics in Europe…
Blindness
OCT technology detects blood vessel in the eye
Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) demonstrates that technology invented by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s Casey Eye Institute can improve the clinical management of the leading causes of blindness. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography could largely replace current dye-based angiography in the management of these…
Digital pathology
Biopsy results
Gideon Ho, CEO and co-founder of Singapore-based HistoIndex is confident: ‘After a biopsy a patient waits in a hospital bed, but now, instead of waiting a couple days until doctors know how to treat this patient, we can deliver results while the patient is still in the hospital.’ Report: John Brosky
Using light to control the cell
Researchers from the University of Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed a new method that uses light to control processes in living cells.
Virtual microscope images at your fingertips
Olympus launches its OlyVIA Mobile iPad App, an image viewer dedicated to virtual slides.
COMPAMED 2013
Medical technologies have maintained a leading position in European patent registrations for 15 years.
Unrivalled performance in fluorescence slide scanning
Olympus VS120 virtual slide scanning system earns three awards at the prestigious second International Scanner Contest.
Boosting the potential of ultrasound
Photoacoustics offers an additional contrast mechanism that makes the technology far more sensitive for the presence of blood.
Fusion and Fly Thru - the new Aplio 500
Catastrophes draw people closer, as demonstrated by the development of the new high-end ultrasound scanner Aplio 500 from Toshiba. The clinical evaluation period took place during the tsunami and the nuclear catastrophe in Fukusima. Professor Thomas Fischer at the Radiological Institute, Charité Clinic in Berlin, was impressed by the enormous commitment shown by the Japanese firm’s engineers…
Shining green - Seeing is believing
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Evaluation of the axillary lymph nodes is essential to insure complete cancer removal. Fluorescence imaging instead of radioisotopes is an innovative method for sentinel lymph node detection.
The Confocal Laser Endomicroscope
A new technique to aid the early detection and diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease has been developed by UK and Germans researchers. The Confocal Laser Endomicroscope (CLE) contains a powerful microscope that allows clinicians to view bacteria in the intestine that are thought to trigger bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Luminous Jellyfish cells and early cancer diagnosis
It sounds like an idea plucked from the realms of science fiction writing. But in this case, there is nothing fictional about it. Scientists in Yorkshire have developed a process that uses the luminous cells from jellyfish to diagnose cancers deep within the human body.
Molecular imaging
Molecular imaging, the discipline that unites molecular biology and in vivo imaging technologies to assess biological activity in the body, promises to open up ‘…an entire new universe,’ declared Dr Ralph Weissleder, of the Centre for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, in the journal Radiology. That was just one decade ago. And he was right. It has indeed…
Exploring a new universe
Molecular imaging, the discipline that unites molecular biology and in vivo imaging technologies to assess biological activity in the body, promises to open up ‘…an entire new universe,’ declared Dr Ralph Weissleder, of the Centre for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, in the journal Radiology. That was just one decade ago. And he was right. It has indeed…
Shimadzu combines two vital strengths to create new molecular imaging technologies
Molecular imaging, a new science that emerged from molecular biology, is unlike traditional imaging. Whilst the latter can, for example, show the differences in proton density or water content on MRI, molecular imaging uses biomarkers (probes) that interact selectively with molecules within an area and then generate the image according to fine molecular alterations occurring inside (e.g. within a…
New Digital Camera for Fluorescence Applications
The detection and documentation of low light fluorescence signals in live cell experiments is a particular challenge for digital cameras. To meet this demand, Leica Microsystems adds the new Leica DFC345 FX to its portfolio of powerful digital cameras. In addition to combining high sensitivity with high resolution, this new camera features a fast image capture rate and a broad dynamic range,…
The potential of green protein
Professor Roger Tsien, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2008 for the ‘Discovery and Development of Green Fluorescent Proteins’, was one three* Keynote Speakers at the opening ceremony of the Medical Physics and Bioengineering World Congress 2009, held in Munich this September.
Russia's continuing laser medicine advances
For the past 30 years, in the former USSR and Russia, laser medicine has been actively developed and regular annual conferences have opened new avenues for its use by the country's doctors.
Olympus presents new clinical chemistry systems
Olympus is presenting the AU480, the newest member of its clinical chemistry analyser family. With a throughput of up to 800 tests per hour, an ISE module and on board capacity of 63 different analytes, the Olympus AU480 is the ideal main analyser for small to medium-size laboratories.
The AU480 clinical chemistry anaylser
Olympus will present the latest member of its clinical chemistry analyser family at Medica.
In vivo biopsy for histological analysis
Early suspicions of cancer, either from clinical evidence or medical imaging, are often followed up on biopsy. However, the removal of tissue for histological analysis can be uncomfortable for patients.
A new imaging system for cancer
Accurate diagnostic analysis and staging of cancer of the bile duct still remains a challenge. According to a new study from Germany a new imaging system called Cellvizio allows physicians to examine tissue at the cellular level from inside the body may now enable them to diagnose one of the most difficult cancers to detect.
I see diabetes in your eyes
Diabetes fires researchers imagination: Two scientists at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center developed a new screening device that gives early warnings of diabetes and its vision complications within five minutes.
14,000 urologists flock to EAU 2008
Nearly 14 000 urologists from 84 countries attended the 23rd Annual congress of the European Association of Urology held in Milan, where changing horizons in the diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer, a symposium sponsored by Ipsen, underlined the main focus of the entire event.
Raman spectroscopy improves molecular imaging
A team of Stanford University School of Medicine researchers has developed a new type of imaging system that can illuminate tumors in living subjects-getting pictures with a precision of nearly one-trillionth of a meter.
Innovations to improve cost and quality of patient care
“We have a broad set of products and services that enable healthcare providers to improve the quality and cost of patient care,” said Carestream Health's Chief Executive Officer Kevin J. Hobert with reference to Carestream´s RSNA highlights. “We have digital technology and consulting services that few companies can match, and our integrated imaging and IT solutions are helping healthcare…
Leica Microsystems' next-generation surgical microscope
Opening up new dimensions in ergonomics and mobility — in close cooperation with leading neurosurgeons, Leica designed a new swivel arm for its M525 OH4 surgical microscope that offers 36% more reach than comparable instruments.
Euro 900 million for molecular imaging R&D
The Technology initiative “Molecular Imaging” aims to strengthen the synergies of science and industry in research and development of new technologies in order to significantly improve diagnostic and treatment options, for example for cardiovascular diseases, cancer or Alzheimer's.
Near-infrared contrast agent reveals microcalcifications related to breast and bone cancer
Near-infrared fluorescence mammography works with rays of near-infrared (NIR) light instead of X-rays. Although this is thought to be a very promising technique, there have been no effective contrast agents.
Nanorods of gold blast holes in cancer tumours
USA — Miniscule gold 'nanorods' triggered by a laser beam can blast holes in tumour cell membranes, which then activates a complex biochemical mechanism that leads to the tumour cell to self-destruct, according to researchers at the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering in Purdue University, Idaho.
Virtual slide for real analysis
The updated Olympus dotSlide digital virtual microscopy system can scan entire slides at high resolution and fidelity, making them accessible and fully navigable anywhere in the world. Using any of the three models - dotSlide MD (manual); dotSlide SL (fully automated, with slide loader), and dotSlide TMA (with a tissue micro-array module) - users can examine a virtual slide as if seeing the…
Tumor paint distinguish between cancer cells and normal tissue
Researchers at A Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center developed a tumor paint that will help surgeons see where a tumor begins and ends more precisely by illuminating the cancerous cells.
In-vivo and in-vitro diagnostics in molecular medicine
In molecular medicine - and particularly in oncology - Siemens Medical Solutions is concentrating on further development of the FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) biomarker to improve identification of certain tumours.
Seeking life's chemical processes
Since the human genome was mapped 'systems biology' centres have sprung up all over Europe, including Bioquant in Heidelberg, Germany.
The Eisenherz project
Tobias Schaeffter PhD, Principal Scientist, Philips Research Laboratories, Hamburg, Arne Hengerer PhD, Director molecular MR, Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, and Andreas Briel PhD, Eisenherz project manager, Schering Research Laboratories, Berlin, describe...
CTLM Seeing through the dense breast
Optical imaging stands on the threshold of a vast array of imaging uses, writes Professor Eric N C Milne MD FRCR FRCP, Professor Emeritus of Radiology and Medicine, University of California Irvine, and Director of Clinical Research, Imaging Diagnostic Systems Inc. `Presently, its greatest worth lies in higher sensitivity for the dense breast. It detects many more occult cancers than conventional…
New approaches for gentler healing
By Professor Horst Neuhaus MD, Head of Internal Medicine at the Evangelical Hospital, Dusseldorf, describes highlights during April's 33rd Congress of the German Society of Endoscopy and Imaging Procedures (DGE-BV).