The tool is expected to be a critical advancement in the fight against glioblastoma, one of the most difficult-to-treat brain cancers. In the future, it is intended to be expanded for image-guided surgery of various other solid tumors.

Described in a new study in npj Imaging, the innovation works by pairing a fluorescent dye with a fatty acid molecule that cancer cells readily absorb. When introduced into the body, the compound is taken up by tumor cells, causing them to glow under near-infrared light, revealing cancer that might otherwise remain hidden.

Glioblastoma is considered surgically incurable because the tumor doesn’t stay in one place—it spreads and invades healthy brain tissue in a diffuse, microscopic way. This makes it impossible to remove completely without risking serious damage to brain function.