Scientists at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) located in Rome have devised a novel laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) that can be used to study skin cancer in one snapshot.
Normal laser scanning confocal microscopes (LSCMs) capture three-dimensional pictures of bulky tissue samples by viewing thin slices inside that tissue, each layer at a time. Occasionally, researchers use LSCMs with spectrographs that measure the color or wavelength patterns in the reflected light from a piece of tissue. These wavelength patterns can be used to detect a specific substance inside the sample. However, these devices can be used for limited applications, as they have been used with a limited range of wavelengths.
The new LSCM can collect the information from the spectrographs at an extensive range of wavelengths, at each point in a sample, and in one scan. To accomplish this, the researchers illumine the sample with numerous laser light colors simultaneously, which resembles a laser rainbow that has infrared and visible light. This enables them to collect a complete range of data about the reflected light wavelengths of each point of the sample. The researchers utilized this method to capture ultra-resolution images of metallic letters tinted onto a silicon piece with a width below 0.5 mm and the perimeter of a silicon wafer.
The CNR scientists have also showed that the device can be used to study a tissue sample without deteriorating it and determine initial symptoms of melanoma. It can also be used for non-medical purposes such as investigating the semiconductor surfaces.