Taking photos of cancer cells with regular cameras

In the future, digital cameras will likely become a popular tool for oncologists.

After an experimental process, the method of cancer diagnosis using digital cameras was published on June 24 by biomedical engineers from Rice University.

The team captured images of a tissue sample containing cancer cells with an Olympus E-330 DSLR camera, which costs about $ 400. In the picture, the cancer cells were shown quite clearly, surprising the witnesses.

Cancer cells are speckled spots in the image.

To capture this photo, team member Richards-Kortum attached a fiber bundle to the Olympus E-330 to replace the lens. Experimental tissue samples were dyed with fluorescence, causing the nucleus of brilliant glowing cells to be illuminated.

Cancer and precancerous cells with characteristic deformed shapes can be identified right away on the camera's LCD screen.

After initial success, the team plans to write software to help hospital staff identify malignant cells without undergoing specialized courses.

Olympus E-330 is a cheap DSLR model.

According to experts, this will be a breakthrough method and can be easily replicated worldwide at extremely low cost. This will be very meaningful in the fight against cancer in developing countries.