Integrated sensor biopsy device for real time tissue metabolism analysis

Current methods for guiding cancer biopsies rely almost exclusively on images derived from X-ray, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance, which essentially characterize suspected lesions based only on tissue density. This paper presents a sensor integrated biopsy device for in situ tissue analysis that will enable biopsy teams to measure local tissue chemistry in real time during biopsy procedures, adding a valuable new set of parameters to augment and extend conventional image guidance. A first demonstrator integrating three chemical and biochemical sensors was tested in a mice strain that is a spontaneous breast cancer model. In all cases, the multisensory probe was able to discriminate between healthy tissue, the edge of the tumor, and total insertion inside the cancer tissue, recording real-time information about tissue metabolism.