photonics

A vibrational spectroscopy technique that uses what its developers are calling a "molecular lantern" aims to enable monitoring of the changes in the brain, at the molecular level, that are caused by cancer and other neurological pathologies in a noninvasive way. The technique, still in experimental stages, uses a probe that is <1 mm thick, with a tip of just 1 µm. Tests on animal models have enabled researchers to analyze any brain structure beyond those that have been already genetically marked or altered and see any molecular change in the brain when there is a pathology.

The work has been carried out by the European consortium NanoBright. Collaborators include a group at the Neuronal Circuits Laboratory of the Cajal...