Raman micro-spectroscopy for biopsy for prostate cancer prognosis -Year two

Prostate biopsies can be difficult to interpret using standard pathology techniques. Because cancer can be fatal, the development of technologies providing complementary information could improve current pathology practice resulting in improved patient outcome. Raman micro-spectroscopy is a molecular imaging technique using backscattered light following tissue laser excitation to indicate whether or not prostate samples contain cancer cells. However, this technique is very sensitive to the molecules in chemicals used to process tissue (e.g. paraffin), which greatly limits its efficacy. We will develop a standardized protocol for the preparation of diagnostic tissues insuring the rich molecular content of Raman imaging can be fully exploited for clinical use. Raman micro-spectroscopy is a label-free technique not requiring the use of dyes or molecular reporters, thereby greatly facilitating its use. The integration of this technique would improve our capacity to establish the prognosis of prostate cancer patients and advance research supported by ICM.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dominique Trudel

Student:

Andrée-Anne Grosset

Partner:

Institut du cancer de Montréal

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: