Individual Cancerous Cells Can Be Targeted By Laser Microscalpel
A new laser “Microscalpel” has been developed by Austin Adela Ben-Yakar, Mechanical engineer and Assistant Professor of The University of Texas, Austin , claiming that this device can remove a cell without damaging the cells surrounding it.
By nature this device produces a high-energy light pulses which are extremely brief and they sear a targeted cell so quickly and accurately that heat produced from the laser get no time to escape and damage the nearby cells.
As a result the medical community envisions the lasers’ use for more accurate destruction of many types of unhealthy material. These include small tumors of the vocal cords, cancer cells left behind after the removal of solid tumors, individual cancer cells scattered throughout brain or other tissue and plaque in arteries.
Till now Femtosecond laser system and microscope was used commercially for LASIK and other eye surgeries. But there were some limitations. Now Ben Yarkars laboratory after overcoming all the technological challenges has created microscopic systems that can deliver femtosecond laser pulses up to 250 microns deep inside tissue. The system includes a tiny, flexible probe that focuses light pulses to a spot size smaller than human cells.
Ben- Yarkar is also investigating on the use of nanoparticles to focus the light on targeted cells. “If we can consistently deliver nanoparticles to cancer cells or other tissue that we want to target, we would be able to remove hundreds of unwanted cells at once using a single femtosecond laser pulse,” Ben-Yakar says. “But we would still be keeping the healthy cells alive while photo-damaging just the cells we want, basically creating nanoscale holes in a tissue.”
It is hoped that these discoveries will open a new way for treating cancerous cells.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Filed under Cancer, Eye Treatment, Health, Lasik Eye Surgery, Microscalpel
