Raman spectroscopy named after Indian physicist Sir C. V. Raman is a spectroscopic technique used to observe vibrational, rotational, and other low-frequency modes in a system.

Raman spectroscopy is commonly used in chemistry to provide a structural fingerprint by which molecules can be identified.

Navigation-guided brain biopsies are the standard of care for diagnosis of several brain pathologies. However, imprecise targeting and tissue heterogeneity often hinder obtaining high-quality tissue samples, resulting in poor diagnostic yield.

Raman histology has potential for detecting viable tumor in biopsied tissue and for identifying tumor infiltration in vivo ¹⁾.

Desroches et al., from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, report the development and first clinical testing of a navigation-guided fiberoptic Raman probe that allows surgeons to interrogate brain tissue in situ at the tip of the biopsy needle, prior to tissue removal. The 900μm diameter probe can detect high spectral quality Raman signals in both the fingerprint and high wavenumber spectral regions with minimal disruption to the neurosurgical workflow. The probe was tested in 3 brain tumor patients, and the acquired spectra in both normal brain and tumor tissue demonstrated the expected spectral features, indicating the quality of the data. As a proof-of-concept, they also demonstrate the consistency of the acquired Raman signal with different systems and experimental settings. Additional clinical development is planned to further evaluate the performance of the system and develop a statistical model for real-time tissue classification during the biopsy procedure ²⁾.

The aim of a study was to use Raman spectroscopy to analyze the biochemical composition of medulloblastoma and normal tissues from the safety margin of the CNS and to find specific Raman biomarkers capable of differentiating between tumorous and normal tissues.

The tissue samples consisted of medulloblastoma (grade IV) (n = 11). The tissues from the negative margins were used as normal controls. Raman images were generated by a confocal Raman microscope-WITec alpha 300 RSA.

Raman vibrational signatures can predict which tissue has tumorous biochemistry and can identify medulloblastoma. The Raman technique makes use of the fact that tumors contain large amounts of protein and far less lipids (fatty compounds), while healthy tissue is rich in both.

The ability of Raman spectroscopy and imaging to detect medulloblastoma tumors fills the niche in diagnostics. These powerful analytical techniques are capable of monitoring tissue morphology and biochemistry. The results demonstrate that RS can be used to discriminate between normal and medulloblastoma tissues ³⁾.