Empowered Patient Podcast How Fluorescent Dyes Are Revolutionizing Nerve Visualization and Surgical Precision with Dr. Quyen Nguyen Alume Biosciences
Dr. Quyen Nguyen, CEO and Founder of Alume Biosciences, is developing fluorescent-guided precision surgery technologies that enable surgeons to visualize critical structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, and tumor margins, more clearly during procedures. Alume is developing fluorescent dyes and imaging systems to support this approach, building on work by Roger Tsien who won the Nobel Prize for fluorescence. This technology has the potential to enable more complex surgical procedures to be performed safely in brain, head, neck, and abdominal surgeries and has the promise to transform surgery.
Quyen elaborates, "I first met Roger Tsien Nobel Laureate for his work in fluorescence, in 2001. I had worked with green fluorescent protein, one of the things that he was working on for fluorescence, and he ultimately was awarded the Nobel Prize for fluorescence. And I asked him, ‘Roger, is there a way we can make nerves fluorescent in patients? We certainly have that in research, but surgeons don't have this tool now.’ And he said, ‘What, no one's done that yet?’ And so that's the beginning of our story together. I see that the use of fluorescence is going to be transformative in the field of surgery. Who wants to turn off the light and see if surgeons can see and operate in the dark? So I feel like fluorescence is just another level of light that allows you to see structures more precisely."
"Of course, you want to see structures more precisely so you can continue to carry on your work, tumor resection, reconstructive surgery, or any other procedures that patients are undergoing. Of course, you want to see tumor margins more clearly. Of course, you want to see arteries and veins and so forth. Of all the structures that we work on, I would say that nerves are considered the holy grail of surgery, partly because they're so delicate. One or two millimeters can take away somebody’s ability to have urinary continence or erectile function or the ability to smile."
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