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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

The Detection of 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Neural Stem Cells and Brains of Mice
Published on: September 19, 2019
Established and emerging uses of 5-ALA in the brain: an overview
Ricardo Díez Valle1, Constantinos G Hadjipanayis2, Walter Stummer3
1Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinic, Navarra, Spain. rdiezvalle@unav.es.
Introduction:
5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) was approved by the FDA in June 2017 as an intra-operative optical imaging agent for patients with gliomas (suspected World Health Organization Grades III or IV on preoperative imaging) as an adjunct for the visualization of malignant tissue during surgery. 5-ALA fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) has been in widespread use in Europe and other continents since 2007.
Methods:
We reviewed the data available and summarize the most important known uses of 5-ALA FGS and its potential future applications.
Results/Conclusions:
The technique has been extensively studied, and more than 300 papers have been published on this topic. Visualization of high-grade glioma tissue is robust and reproducible, and can impact the extent of tumor resection and patient outcomes. 5-ALA FGS for other kind of tumors needs further development.
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