Cool Tools:
Exploring uncharted territory in the body
Dr. Bernard Thébaud with the isolated perfused lung system
The first microscope, invented during the 17th century, was little more than a powerful magnifying glass mounted on a brass plate. Obviously science has made considerable progress, but who could have imagined the technology that today's researchers would have at their fingertips? Technology such as the Cellvizio.
The Cellvizio consists of three connected parts: a microprobe, a laser scanning unit, and a computer with specialized software. Its major innovation lies in the microprobe made of tiny tubing that carries the scanning laser microscope into the body. This probe can be inserted into an animal's lung, digestive tract, or anywhere else it fits, allowing scientists visual access to minute structures. The Cellvizio uses fibre optics (thin strands of flexible plastic) to transmit light onto the body tissues, which reflect that light at certain wavelengths corresponding to the density of the tissue. The Cellvizio's laser scanning unit converts the reflected light into an image which researchers can see on their computer screens. With the Cellvizio-LUNG version, for example, the scanning unit recognizes the wavelength of light reflected by lung tissue, allowing researchers to view the actual airsacs (alveoli) in microscopic detail.