NYU Abu Dhabi researchers develop breakthrough tool to enhance precision in cold-temperature cancer surgery

Abu Dhabi, UAE, March 3, 2025: Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have developed an innovative tool that enhances surgeons' ability to detect and remove cancer cells during cryosurgery, a procedure that uses extreme cold to destroy tumors. This breakthrough technology involves a specialized nanoscale material that illuminates cancer cells under freezing conditions, making them easier to distinguish from healthy tissue and improving surgical precision.

Detailed in the study Freezing-Activated Covalent Organic Frameworks for Precise Fluorescence Cryo-Imaging of Cancer Tissue in the journal of the American Chemical Society, the Trabolsi research group at NYUAD designed a unique nanoscale Covalent Organic Framework (nTG-DFP-COF) that responds to extreme cold by increasing its fluorescence. This makes it possible to clearly differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissues during surgery. The material, prepared by Gobinda Das, Ph.D., a researcher in the Trabolsi Research Group at NYUAD,  is engineered to be biocompatible and low in toxicity, ensuring it interacts safely within the body. Importantly, it maintains its fluorescent properties even in the presence of ice crystals inside cells, allowing real-time monitoring during cryosurgery.

This advancement not only improves the accuracy and safety of cryosurgical procedures—helping surgeons preserve more healthy tissue while removing cancer cells—but also combines diagnostic and treatment functions into one platform. This could reduce the need for repeat surgeries and speed up patient recovery.

Fluorescence imaging, a non-invasive technique that uses light-sensitive dyes to highlight tumors, has gained traction for its ability to provide real-time insights during surgery. However, its use in cryosurgery has remained largely unexplored until now.

“We believe this is a transformative tool that could revolutionize cancer surgery,” said Farah Benyettou, Ph.D., a research scientist in the Trabolsi Research Group at NYU Abu Dhabi. “By making tumor removal more precise, this technology has the potential to reduce additional surgeries and accelerate patient recovery. It’s a major step forward in treating aggressive, hard-to-target cancers.”

“This breakthrough bridges the gap between imaging and therapy, providing surgeons with a real-time tool to visualize and remove cancer with unprecedented precision,” said Ali Trabolsi, Professor of Chemistry and principal investigator of the Trabolsi Research Group at NYU Abu Dhabi. “By integrating fluorescence imaging with cryosurgery, we are pushing the boundaries of cancer treatment and offering new hope for patients with difficult-to-treat tumors.”

ENDS

About NYU Abu Dhabi

www.nyuad.nyu.edu
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the top 30 universities in the world, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest-ranked university in the UAE and MENA region. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 120 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.