July 18, 2018 | Instruments and equipment, laboratory instruments and laboratory equipment, laboratory news, laboratory operations, laboratory testing, management and operations
The MUSE microscope speeds up some anatomical pathology laboratory processes and eliminates exposure to toxic fixed chemicals
Because they process tissue specimens, tissue technologists, anatomical pathologists, and hospital nurses are exposed to deadly chemicals such as formaldehyde, formalin, xylene, and toluene. As early as 2018 and as early as 2011, Dark Daily regularly reported the risks associated with these chemicals. (See "Europe to implement new anatomical pathology guidelines to reduce nurses' exposure to formaldehyde and other toxic histochemicals", January 3, 2018; and "Pathological laboratory techniques at risk due to common solvents such as xylene and toluene The health status of personnel", July 5, 2011.)
Now, scientists at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have developed a microscope that uses ultraviolet light (UV) to illuminate tissue samples. According to a press release from the University of California, Davis, ultraviolet microscopy eliminates the need for traditional histological procedures, which involve tissue preparation to produce traditional slides, and enable anatomical pathologists to work without formalin fixation Under evaluation organization.
The researchers wrote in a paper published in "Nature Biomedical Engineering": "Here, we have introduced a simple, non-destructive, non-slip technology, which can provide similar to traditional hematoxylin within a few minutes. And high-resolution diagnostic histological images obtained in eosin histology.".
Obtain high-resolution biopsy images in minutes
Ultraviolet microscopy relies on a technology called MUSE by researchers at the University of California, Davis, which represents a microscope with ultraviolet surface excitation. According to the researchers, MUSE can generate high-resolution images of biopsies and other fresh tissue samples within minutes for review by pathologists.
"MUSE eliminates any need for traditional tissue processing for formalin fixation, paraffin embedding, or thin sectioning. It does not require laser, confocal, multiphoton or optical coherence tomography instruments. And this simple technology makes it It is very suitable for deployment wherever biopsy tissue is obtained and evaluated," said Richard Levenson, MD, CEO, Professor and Vice Chairman of Strategic Technology, MUSE Microscopy, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis. Press release.
Ultraviolet microscopes are characterized by their ability to magnify samples and achieve higher resolution views. According to News Medical, this is due to the shorter wavelength of ultraviolet light, which improves image resolution and exceeds the diffraction limit of optical microscopes that use ordinary white light.
Unique UV microscope tools may soon enable clinical laboratories and anatomical pathology teams to accurately report biopsy results to doctors and patients faster, at less cost, and without exposure to deadly chemicals. This will be timely considering that the pathology industry is facing pressure from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement and acceptance of personalized medicine.
“Submission of the relevant parts of the usually small tissue samples for DNA and other molecular function tests is becoming more and more important,” said Richard Levenson, MD, MUSE Microscopy Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Professor of Strategic Technology, Professor and Vice Chairman. University of California, Davis, MUSE is shown above. “It’s not always easy to ensure that the submitted material actually contains a sufficient number of tumors. Sometimes just preparing routine microscopic sections can consume most or all of the small samples. MUSE is important because it can quickly provide images of fresh tissues, and Will not run out of samples." (Photo and description copyright: University of California, Davis.)
MUSE is being commercialized, and MUSE Microscopy, Inc. is seeking investors.
Traditional microscopes are time-consuming, dangerous and expensive
Optical microscopy is a long-established technique that has been available to pathologists for more than 200 years. Researchers at the University of California, Davis admit that it is the cornerstone of cancer diagnosis and pathology. But they pointed out that this requires a time-consuming and expensive process, which is particularly prominent in the healthcare industry where resources are facing challenges.
"Histological examination of tissues is essential for the diagnosis and management of tumors and many other diseases. However, commonly used brightfield microscopes require micron-thick tissue sections mounted on glass slides-this process may take several hours. Or a few days, increase costs, and delay access to key information," they wrote in the paper.
"MUSE is committed to improving the speed and efficiency of patient care in the most advanced and resource-poor environment, and to provide opportunities for rapid histology in research," they continued.
No need for histological slide preparation
According to a report from the National Academy of Sciences, MUSE developers also called for attention to the use of hazardous chemicals such as formalin in laboratory procedures, which are related to cancers including myeloid leukemia, nasopharyngeal cancer, and sinus cancer . Despite this, according to the MUSE website, more than 300 million slides are prepared in the United States each year, and the cost to the healthcare industry is as high as billions of dollars.
However, MUSE uses short-wavelength (below 300 nanometer range) ultraviolet rays to penetrate tissue samples. The MUSE UV microscope can penetrate several micrometers into the tissue.
The researchers claim that this is comparable to the thickness of the tissue slices of traditional microscope slides used by anatomical pathologists. However, MUSE does not require the usual tissue handling associated with histological slides.
MUSE consists of an optical system with ultraviolet light emitting diode (LED), an ultraviolet compatible stage and a conventional microscope. This is according to Photonics Online, which describes the process:
According to the MUSE website, the result is "stunning detailed images conveying resolution, structure, and depth that have not been possible with any single technology so far."
Other alternative histological processes under the microscope
MUSE is not the only way to create cell images without cutting tissue samples. Leaders who wish to distinguish between anatomy and histopathology in laboratories should pay close attention to the development of alternatives to MUSE and other current histological methods, especially once these new devices are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in patients Care.
Microscopes that use ultraviolet instead of visible light become powerful diagnostic tools
Ultraviolet surface excitation microscope for fast slide-free histology
UV microscope significantly speeds up laboratory testing
Europe implements new anatomical pathology guidelines to reduce nurses’ exposure to formaldehyde and other toxic histochemicals
The National Academy of Sciences confirmed that the discovery that formaldehyde can cause cancer has an impact on anatomical pathology and histology laboratories
The health of pathology laboratory technicians is threatened by common solvents such as xylene and toluene
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