Fraunhofer develops MEMS based cancer diagnosis system
1 min read
Looking to speed the diagnosis of cancers, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems in Dresden have developed a microscope head with a diameter of 8mm which can optically resolve and magnify tissue cells measuring less than 20µm. Fitted in the tip of an endoscope, the device can be inserted in the body to support in vivo diagnosis.
The scientists envision that the MEMS microscope head will eliminate the need for biopsies and allow doctors to decide on the necessary course of treatment more quickly.
"Microscopic image recorders that can be used on endoscopes have not been available up to now. We have developed the first laser-based sensor for this purpose," says Dr. Michael Scholles, business unit manager at the IPMS.
MEMS based image sensors are said to be advantageous in this application because they can magnify objects without the need for a large lens. "We have combined the sensor with a microscanner mirror to achieve the required resolution of 10µm," said Dr Scholles, "and can therefore massively magnify the tiniest structures."
Laser light is conducted via a transmitting fibre to the microscanner mirror. This deflects the laser beam and illuminates the suspicious tissue. A glass fibre bundle in the tip of the endoscope transmits the reflected light to an external sensor. Meanwhile, a detector measures the position of the scanner mirror, indicating which area of the scene is being illuminated at a particular time. By reconstructing position and image sensor data, a 2d image can be constructed.
The system is also being developed for use in technical endoscopy.
