He developed tools and techniques for the surgical use of lasers,[4] down to the level of manipulating single cells and individual chromosomes.
[4] Berns published extensively on use of lasers in both biomedical research and medical treatment of illnesses including skin disorders,[4] vascular disease, eye problems, and cancer.
[5] In 2006, Berns received the Biomedical Optics Lifetime Achievement Award at SPIE's International Symposium on Biomedical Optics, "for his contributions to the development and growth of laser microbeam technology, a major step towards establishing new tools for understanding laser interactions with biological tissues, which have resulted in significant improvements in diagnosis and treatment of disease.
[10] Using an argon laser with a phase-contrast microscope, small lesions were placed at specifically chosen sites on the chromosomes of cells sensitized with chemical fluorophores.
In subsequent research, Berns and others found that Nd:YAG lasers could be used to cut organelles such as mitochondria or stress fibers without prior sensitization.
This landmark study concluded that focusable laser light could have wide application to the ablation of cell components in biological systems.
[7] Since then Berns investigated the basic interactions of light beams at the levels of tissues, cells, and molecules.