Confocal microprobe planned to view living cells

from the now-open-wide dept.
Mark Baltzegar brings our attention to plans for a confocal imaging "scanning microprobe" using MEMS technology which would enable imaging of living cells deep within the human body. "Currently we have no way to effectively study the real living behavior of cells in detail because we lack the advanced visualization tools to see them in their natural environment," commented Dr. John Liddicoat, Cardiac Surgeon at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. "The opportunities for real-time visualization down at the cell level would be incredibly valuable. We could realize a broad range of uses in medicine. For example, by applying this technology, we may be able to accurately direct pharmacological and mechanical interventions in such diverse fields as cardiology, pulmonolgy, oncology, and transplantation, just to name a few. This type of visualization tool would be enormously valuable."