Scientists have devised a new way to help neurosurgeons see tumors in the brain, gold tagged tumors.

The technique, proposed by researchers from Duke University's Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics and Biomedical Engineering Department, will harness the unique optical properties of gold nanoparticles to distinguish a brain tumor from other healthy cells.

Flagging brain tumors using gold nanoparticles may seem like a novel idea but the nanoparticles are non-toxic and despite having gold in its name, inexpensive to manufacture. Current techniques to tag brain tumors are limited by the lifespan of the labeling agents or the toxicity in the materials. Real time imaging is also expensive and requires big equipment.

The Duke research team, led by Professor Adam Wax, used synthesized rod-shaped gold nanoparticles with different sizes. The particles can display a range of frequencies depending on the nanorod's growth. By controlling this growth the team can see different particles scatter to a specific frequency of light. The gold particles can be tuned to find antibodies that latch on to cancer cells.

The team has already tested the technique on a mouse brain with tumors. The gold particles were able to reveal the tumors. Researchers can also use the gold particles to tune to different types of tumors based on the surface proteins the cancer cells display. The team is now working in developing a surgical probe that can be used on a living brain.

The team will present their data at the Optical Society's Annual Meeting in San Jose, California next week.