Scorpion toxin lights up tumours

摘要

It is a common problem faced by surgeons operating on patients with cancer: how do you ensure you have removed every last trace of the tumour before you sew the patient back up again?rnNow an injection of fluorescent scorpion toxin could help by "painting" the cancer cells, enabling surgeons to hunt down the elusive margins of tumours during operations. It could also be used to pinpoint small breakaway tumours, or metastases, close to the body's surface, since it makes even tiny groups of cancer cells light up.