Other

City College of New York

Cheng H Liu

Robert R Alfano

Yury Budansky

Wei L Sha

Wenling S Glassman

A photon-mediated technique for introducing biological materials into cells and/or cellular components. The technique may be used to introduce nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, proteins or other biological materials into mammalian cells (as well as into other animal and plant cells), which materials may then flow into the nuclei of the cells. The technique uses picosecond or femtosecond light pulses propagating in the UV, visible and near infrared wavelength regions with powers on the order of 1&times;10 W/cm . In practice, the desired biological materials are coated on the end of the inner core of a single mode fiber or the ring core of a fiber in a fiber array. Each fiber is sized to correspond to one cell, with the core size ranging from 2&mgr; to 10&mgr;, and the cladding ranging from 10&mgr; to 30&mgr;. The laser pulse travels through a fiber core which is coated with the materials and ablates a portion of a targeted cell or cellular component membrane. In addition, as the laser pulse exits the fiber, it imparts energy and momentum to the materials applied to the end of the fiber. Consequently, after ablation of a portion of the membrane, some of the biological materials are caused to enter therethrough.

Photon-mediated introduction of biological materials into cells and/or cellular components

A method and apparatus for evaluating the composition of an oil sample. The method and apparatus are premised on the discovery that spectral differences can be observed in the luminescence, excitation, light scattering and absorption spectra in the near UV, visible and near IR regions for various crude oil components, such as asphaltenes, deasphalted crude oil and organic solid residues. Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment the method comprises illuminating an oil sample with light of a suitable excitation wavelength, measuring the resultant fluorescence therefrom and comparing the resultant fluorescence to appropriate standards derived from known components of crude oil.

Method and apparatus for evaluating the composition of an oil sample

A technique for determining whether a cell is malignant as opposed to non-malignant using extrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy. The technique is premised on the principle that certain fluorescent dyes preferentially stain malignant cells as opposed to non-malignant cells. Accordingly, by exposing a cell to the fluorescent dye, irradiating the cell with light of such a wavelength as to cause the dye to fluoresce, measuring the intensity of fluorescence at a wavelength indicative of fluorescence of the dye, and comparing the fluorescence intensity to standards obtained from malignant cells and non-malignant cells, it is possible for one to accurately classify the cell as being either malignant or non-malignant. The present invention also relates to an automated system which applies the principles of the aforementioned technique to depict the spatial distribution of cells within an area of a Pap smear-type sample and to characterize each of the cells as being malignant or non-malignant.

Technique for determining whether a cell is malignant as opposed to

A method for distinguishing between calcified atherosclerotic tissue and either fibrous atherosclerotic tissue or normal cardiovascular tissue. The present method is based on the discovery that, when irradiated with a beam of monochromatic infrared light, calcified atherosclerotic human aortic tissue produces a Fourier Transform Raman spectrum which is distinguishable from analagous spectra obtained from fibrous atherosclerotic human aortic tissue and normal human aortic tissue. Some salient differences in the respective Raman spectra are the presence of five Raman bands at Raman shifts of 957, 1071, 1262-1300, 1445, and 1659 cm.sup.-1 (.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 for all shifts) for the calcified tissue as compared to three Raman bands at Raman shifts of 1247-1270, 1453 and 1659 cm.sup.-1 (.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 for all shifts) for the fibrous tissue and three Raman bands at Raman shifts of 1247-1270, 1449 and 1651 cm.sup.-1 (.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 for all shifts) for the normal tissue. In addition, it was discovered that the ratios of intensities for the Raman bands at 1659 and 1453 cm.sup.-1 and at 1254 and 1453 cm.sup.-1 were 0.69 and 0.53, respectively, for the calcified tissue, 1.02 and 0.85, respectively, for the fibrous tissue and 1.2 and 0.83, respectively, for the normal tissue.

Method for distinguishing between calcified atherosclerotic tissue and

A method for determining if a tissue is a malignant tumor tissue, a benign tumor tissue, or a normal or benign tissue. The present method is based on the discovery that, when irradiated with a beam of infrared, monochromatic light, malignant tumor tissue, benign tumor tissue, and normal or benign tissue produce distinguishable Raman spectra. For human breast tissue, some salient differences in the respective Raman spectra are the presence of four Raman bands at a Raman shift of about 1078, 1300, 1445, and 1651 cm.sup.-1 for normal or benign tissue, the presence of three Raman bands at a Raman shift of about 1240, 1445, and 1659 cm.sup.-1 for benign tumor tissue, and the presence of two Raman bands at a Raman shift of about 1445 and 1651 cm.sup.-1 for malignant tumor tissue. In addition, it was discovered that for human breast tissue the ratio of intensities of the Raman bands at a Raman shift of about 1445 and 1659 cm.sup.-1 is about 1.25 for normal or benign tissue, about 0.93 for benign tumor tissue, and about 0.87 for malignant tumor tissue.

Growing community of inventors

Flushing, NY, United States of America

Cheng H Liu