With the contribution made by Yoann Gosselin, recent graduate in Biomedical Engineering at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal, brain cancer treatment is leaping forward. Taking advantage of Nüvü Camēras’ HNü unique performances, he significantly heightened the sensitivity of a technique used in the removal of cancerous cells in the brain, renowned as being the most effective to this day. Combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, this novel treatment will provide a better prognosis for brain cancer patients whose current life expectancy remains very limited.
During the course of his Master, Mr. Gosselin perfected the equipment used by neurosurgeons to extract cancerous tissues. His work was performed at the Laboratoire de radiologie optique under the supervision of Frederic Leblond (professor at the École Polytechnique de Montréal) and Olivier Daigle (Nüvü Camēras Chief Technology Officer). Soon, the innovative system will be tested in the United States in the context of a very promising clinical trial.
By cleverly combining a Carl Zeiss neurosurgical microscope to a spectrometer, and then coupling the latter to Nüvü‘s EMCCD camera, the device detects protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), a molecule that specifically accumulates in malignant brain tissue, thus revealing cancer cells with unprecedented accuracy.
Adding a state-of-the-art HNü camera boosts the whole system’s sensitivity, detecting PpIX concentration 25 times lower than any other device. In addition to refining the boundaries between healthy cells, to preserve, and cancer cells, to extract, the HNü camera large field of view eases the neurosurgeon’s work by providing a full image of the exposed brain area.
This new, ultrasensitive device assists brain cancer treatment in two ways. With superior differentiation between healthy and diseased cells, a neurosurgeon can perform faster surgery, thanks to fewer uncertainties, hence reducing the risks for the patient. Furthermore, increasing the amount of detectable diseased cells enhances the procedure’s efficiency, thus prolonging the patient’s life expectancy.
Yoann Gosselin’s achievements also reflect Nüvü Camēras’ mission. "Our goal is to help scientists and professionals innovate by pushing the limits of what can be observed. By working along with our integrators, we promote the development of first-rate diagnostic instruments that will reduce hospital stays and ultimately save lives ", explains Marie-Eve Ducharme, CEO of the Montreal based company founded in 2010. Find more about Nüvü Camēras' applications in life sciences here.
