(University of Illinois: Champaign, IL) -- The long, anxious wait for biopsy results could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a tissue-imaging technique developed at the University of Illinois. The new microscopy technique, called “nonlinear interferometric vibrational imaging” (NIVI), was recently demonstrated by a university research team on rat breast-cancer cells and tissues. In fewer than 5 minutes, the technique produced easy-to-read, color-coded images of tissue, outlining clear tumor boundaries, with more than 99-percent confidence.

Led by professor and physician Stephen A. Boppart, who holds appointments in electrical and computer engineering, bioengineering and medicine, the Illinois researchers will publish their findings in the December issue of the journal Cancer Research.

In addition to taking a day or more for results, current diagnostic methods are subjective, based on visual interpretations of cell shape and structure. A small sample of suspect tissue is taken from a patient, and a stain is added to make certain features of the cells easier to see. A pathologist looks at the sample under a microscope to see if the cells look unusual, often consulting other pathologists to confirm a diagnosis.

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