UK-based brain tumor study to use Verisante's laser Raman spectroscopy system
Cancer detection technology developer Verisante Technology (VRS; Vancouver, BC, Canada) has entered into a collaboration with the BC Cancer Agency (also in Vancouver) and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (London, England) to develop a new application for the company's exclusively licensed platform technology.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust will be using the company's laser Raman spectroscopy system in a study to determine if the system is able to assist in ascertaining the margins between tumor and normal brain tissue. Dr. Haishan Zeng, a distinguished scientist in the Integrative Oncology Department at BC Cancer Agency, is leading the development of the endoscopic Raman probe that will be used in the study.
"Using Verisante Core for delineation of brain tumor margins could be a significant new use for the device," said Dr. Zeng, who is also a professor of dermatology and skin science at the University of British Columbia in addition to his work at the BC Cancer Agency. "Our collaboration with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust enables us to keep testing the technology on real patients in a clinical setting using new applications."
Brain tumors are rare but have a disproportionate effect on society, as they often strike the young. For this reason, brain tumors result in more years of life lost than any other tumor. The first step in the patient pathway is often brain surgery, which is understandably delicate and highly precise. One of the major obstacles to removing brain tumors is the fact that the boundary between the tumor and normal brain is very hard to see using the naked eye, even with an operating microscope. The group will focus on collecting data during brain tumor surgery done at Charing Cross Hospital (also in London).
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