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No cutting the skin, no bleeding, no scars: Surgery breakthrough

From the study paper, on the left, older technology causes collateral damage. The new, more precise laser, right, does not.

From the study paper, on the left, older technology causes collateral damage. The new, more precise laser, right, does not.

Canadian scientists have developed a “revolutionary” new microscope that quickly diagnoses skin cancers and vascular problems – and then performs “incredibly precise surgery” down to the cellular level, all without cutting the skin or spilling a drop of blood.

Which means no scars or complicated healing.

In parts of the body where fine blood vessels are clustered, the new device can operate on – either to redirect or close – a single tiny vessel without harming the neighbouring vessels.

“Our technology allows us to scan tissue quickly, and when we see a suspicious or abnormal cell structure, we can perform ultra-precise surgery and selectively treat the unwanted or diseased structure within the tissue – without cutting into the skin,” said Yimei Huang, co-lead author of the study and a former postdoctoral fellow at the department of dermatology and skin science at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

The device is a specialised type of multiphoton excitation microscope that allows imaging of living tissue up to about one millimetre in depth using an ultrafast infrared laser beam.

The longer wavelengths and lower energy (typically infrared) lasers used in multiphoton microscopy cause less damage than short-wavelengths lasers, which means cells may be observed for longer periods with fewer toxic effects.

According to a statement from the university, what sets the researchers’ microscope apart from previous technology is that it’s capable of not only digitally scanning living tissue, but also treating the tissue by intensifying the heat produced by the laser.

When applied to treating diseases of the skin, the microscope “allows medical professionals to pinpoint the exact location of the abnormality, diagnose it and treat it instantly”.

It could be used to treat any structure of the body that is reached by light and that requires extremely precise treatment, including nerves or blood vessels in the skin, eye, brain or other vital structures.

“We can alter the pathway of blood vessels without impacting any of the surrounding vessels or tissues,” said study co-author Harvey Lui, professor at the department of dermatology and skin science at UBC and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, and a dermatologist at BC Cancer.

“For diagnosing and scanning diseases like skin cancer, this could be revolutionary.”

Study co-author Harvey Lui and senior author Haishan Zeng. Photo: UBC

The researchers wanted to make multiphoton microscope technology more versatile while also increasing its precision.

“We wanted to be able to identify what was happening under the skin from many different angles and to have the capability of imaging different body sites,” said senior author Haishan Zeng, professor of dermatology, pathology and physics at UBC and distinguished scientist with BC Cancer.

“Once we achieved that, we wondered whether we could transform this diagnostic device into a treatment device by simply turning up the power of the laser.”

“We are not only the first to achieve fast video-rate imaging that enables clinical applications, but also the first to develop this technology for therapeutic uses,” said Zeng.

The researchers are working with other researchers in the mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and ophthalmology departments, to develop different versions of the technology.

Exploration includes research into the development of a miniature version that could be used to perform microscopic examinations and treatment during endoscopy – a non-surgical procedure used to examine a person’s digestive tract using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it.

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