Scientists Develop New 'Virtual Biopsy' Device for Skin Cancer

A doctor examines a mammograph of a breast cancer patient ( Rex
Features )
A doctor examines a mammograph of a breast cancer patient ( Rex Features )
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Scientists Develop New 'Virtual Biopsy' Device for Skin Cancer

A doctor examines a mammograph of a breast cancer patient ( Rex
Features )
A doctor examines a mammograph of a breast cancer patient ( Rex Features )

US researchers have developed a new "virtual biopsy" device that can quickly determine a skin lesion's depth and potential malignancy. According to a report in Wiley Online Library, the ability to analyze a skin tumor non-invasively could make biopsies much less risky and distressing to patients.

Physicians who perform surgical biopsies often don't know the extent of a lesion, and whether it will be necessary to refer the patient to a specialist for extensive tissue removal.

The German News Agency reported that the first-of-its-kind experimental procedure, developed by a team of researchers at the Rutgers University, creates a 3-D map of the legion's width and depth under the skin with a tiny laser diode. It also uses sound waves to test the lesion's density and stiffness since cancer cells are stiffer than healthy cells.

The device is also equipped with a speaker that applies audible sound waves to measure the skin's vibrations and determine whether the lesion is malignant.

The Science Daily cited Frederick Silver, a professor at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, saying: "This procedure can be completed in 15 minutes with no discomfort to the patient, who feels no sensation from the light or the nearly inaudible sound."

Silver also sees "the new device is a significant improvement over surgical biopsies, which are invasive, expensive and time consuming."

The researchers said further studies are needed to fine-tune the device's ability to identify a lesion's borders and areas of greatest density and stiffness, which would allow physicians to remove tumors with minimally invasive surgery.



UK's Oldest Man, WWII Veteran, Donald Rose, Dies at 110

WW2 veteran Donald Rose, 110, poses for a photo at the National Memorial Arboretum, ahead of a memorial event hosted by the Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, in Alrewas, Staffordshire, England, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP, File)
WW2 veteran Donald Rose, 110, poses for a photo at the National Memorial Arboretum, ahead of a memorial event hosted by the Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, in Alrewas, Staffordshire, England, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP, File)
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UK's Oldest Man, WWII Veteran, Donald Rose, Dies at 110

WW2 veteran Donald Rose, 110, poses for a photo at the National Memorial Arboretum, ahead of a memorial event hosted by the Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, in Alrewas, Staffordshire, England, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP, File)
WW2 veteran Donald Rose, 110, poses for a photo at the National Memorial Arboretum, ahead of a memorial event hosted by the Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, in Alrewas, Staffordshire, England, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP, File)

Britain’s oldest World War II veteran, Donald Rose, has died at the age of 110.

Rose participated in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, and was part of the division that liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany.

In a statement Friday, the leader of the Erewash Borough Council in the north of England, James Dawson, announced Rose's death, calling him a “war hero.”

“Erewash was privileged to count him as a resident," he added, The AP news reported.

In May, Rose joined 45 other veterans as guests of honor at a tea party celebration hosted by the Royal British Legion at the National Memorial Arboretum, to mark 80 years since Victory in Europe Day.

Rose, who was born on Christmas Eve in 1914 following the outbreak of hostilities in World War I, said at the event that he did not celebrate VE Day at the time.

“When I heard that the armistice had been signed 80 years ago, I was in Germany at Belsen and, like most active soldiers, I didn’t get to celebrate at that time," he said. “We just did what we thought was right and it was a relief when it was over.”

Originally from the village of Westcott, southwest of London, Rose joined the army aged 23 and served in North Africa, Italy and France, according to the Royal British Legion. He received a number of medals and was awarded France’s highest honor, the Legion d’Honneur.

Rose is also believed to have been the UK’s oldest man.