Search
Menu
PI Physik Instrumente - Revolution In Photonics Align ROSLB 3/24

FISH-ing for cancer just got easier

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can detect chromosomal mutations that cause cancer, but the technique can take days to perform and cost hundreds of dollars. Consequently, the method is not yet widely used in clinical settings. However, researchers from the University of Alberta and from Cross Cancer Institute, both in Edmonton, Canada, integrated the technique into a microfluidics chip, enabling the test to run in just hours at a cost of only tens of dollars.

AsWeFish_microchannel.jpg
This fluorescence image shows a microchannel within a microfluidics chip after FISH was performed.

Additionally, the chip is the size of a microscope slide, and it can be combined with peripheral equipment half the size of a shoebox for a totally automated process, whereas FISH ordinarily requires bulky instruments and costly manual analysis by a technical expert. The fluorescent probes travel through tiny channels that contain the cells, permeate the cells and bind to chromosomes, enabling visualization of chromosomes, so that clinicians can count them or detect cancer-promoting breaks and reattachments.

“FISH on a chip is well-suited to detection of circulating cancer cells, offering the possibility for a less invasive testing strategy and for detecting usually rare metastatic cancer cells that have escaped from a solid tumor mass,” said principal investigator Linda M. Pilarski. The technique also works well with blood cancers, and it can be used with solid tumors. In addition, it can help doctors determine prognoses and treatment options.

FISH on the chip ran faster and required one-tenth the number of probes needed without the chip, and the researchers could differentiate between malignant and benign cells, as reported in the June issue of IET Nanobiotechnology.

Pilarski said that the researchers would like to further optimize FISH on a chip by improving cell processing and using probes and optical detection methods. However, their prototype shows that such a device can rapidly become available for routine clinical testing, she said.
Meadowlark Optics - Building system MR 7/23

Published: July 2007
Glossary
fluorescence
Fluorescence is a type of luminescence, which is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. Specifically, fluorescence involves the absorption of light at one wavelength and the subsequent re-emission of light at a longer wavelength. The emitted light occurs almost instantaneously and ceases when the excitation light source is removed. Key characteristics of fluorescence include: Excitation and emission wavelengths: Fluorescent materials...
As We Go To PressBiophotonicsBreaking Newschromosomalfluorescencemicrofluidics chipMicroscopyPresstime Bulletin

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.