Researchers have developed a fluorescent protein that allows physicians to produce images of internal organs without using harmful radiation or contrast agents, according to a news release by Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
After the patient imbibes the new protein, called iRFP, a shot of near-infrared light induces the protein to emit its own powerful light that can be picked up by a scanner. Researchers have been experimenting with the protein on mice.
Use of iRFP would allow physicians to noninvasively monitor the growth of tumors and assess the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapies.
Read the Albert Einstein College of Medicine release on fluorescent protein imaging.
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