Oxygen-Sniffing Nanoparticles Could Help Treat Tumors

University of Michigan engineers have developed a nanoparticle that emits light in oxygen-deficient environments. By doing so, they hope that doctors are able to use these nanoparticles in environments such as tumors, where there is a lack of oxygen, to more precisely measure tumors once diagnosed. A tumor's chemical makeup holds valuable clues about how to fight it. Currently, it's difficult to examine the chemistry inside a tumor. This new optical imaging technique could one enable doctors to read those clues in real time, providing a non-invasive precision approach that could match treatment to individual tumors.