Spectrx, Inc.

Other

Faupel, Mark L.

Bambot, Shabbir

Agrawal, Anant

Ignotz, Keith D.

Fordham, Andrew

Shabbir Bakir Bambot

Mark L Faupel

Glenn Steven Arche

Tim Harrell

J David Farquhar

Walter R Sanders

Jonathan David Mongin

Farida Bambot

Anant Agrawal

Edward L Kimbrell

Mark A Samuels

Keith D Ignotz

Gregory J Newman

Scott Kerr

Scott Kellogg

Richard Lachlan Fowler

Robert Rothfritz

Andrew Fordham

Joesph Webster Stayman

Andrew Leong

An apparatus and method for faster pathology are provided that removes the need for time consuming preparation of a hardened tissue block. Such hardening is necessary to enable cutting of the thin tissue sections required for pathology evaluation. Rather the tissue specimen is hardened by freezing only at the surface from which tissue is to be sectioned by contact with a cold surface or slide thereby lessening the time required for hardening. Sectioning is performed by passing a cutting member such as a blade, cutting wire or laser along a plane parallel to the cold surface and using the cold surface as a guide.

Method and apparatus for faster pathology

A method is provided to perform an imaging scan on a target tissue. The imaging scan includes generating a signal directed at a portion of a target tissue using a collimator that includes a slot, wherein a source of a signal assembly is incoherently interrupted. The method also includes receiving at least a portion of the signal from the portion of the target tissue at a linear signal detector positioned directly opposite from the signal assembly with respect to the target tissue, and simultaneously translating the linear signal detector and adjusting a width of the at least one slot of the collimator such that a fan width of the signal at the linear signal detector corresponds to a width of a detector window disposed in the linear signal detector. The method also includes rotating a stage about the target tissue, and repeating performing the imaging scan on the target tissue.

Methods and systems for computed tomography tissue imaging

An apparatus and method for faster pathology are provided that removes the need for time consuming preparation of a hardened tissue block. Such hardening is necessary to enable cutting of the thin tissue sections required for pathology evaluation. Rather the tissue specimen is hardened by freezing only at the surface from which tissue is to be sectioned by contact with a cold surface or slide thereby lessening the time required for hardening. Sectioning is performed by passing a cutting device such as a blade, cutting wire or laser beam along a plane parallel to the cold surface and using the cold surface as a guide.

Apparatus for faster pathology

To improve breast mammography imagery via use of a digital 'slot scanning' imaging system that accommodates the changing thickness of the breast from the chest wall to the nipple by scanning the breast from the chest outward to the nipple or vice versa instead of the side-to-side methodology and using Automatic Exposure Control or AEC parameters optimized for the changing thickness and composition of the breast at each scan location and an improved breast compression device, wherein uniform breast compression mechanism includes a first breast plate and a second breast plate, wherein at least one of said first breast plate and said second breast plates includes an angle adjustment or tilt to account for the high variability in breast sizes and configurations while maintaining optimal immobilization with excellent patient comfort.

Apparatus and method for digital scan mammography

A method and apparatus are provided that interrogate, receive, and analyze full emission spectra for at least one fluorescence excitation wavelength and for at least one reflectance measurement to determine tissue characteristics and correlate same to photographic images. Further, the system and method accomplish this measurement rapidly by increasing the light throughput by integrating optics into a hand held unit and avoiding the need for a coherent fiber optic bundle being used. The method includes illuminating a first portion of a target tissue with optical energy, forming a first image of the target tissue, illuminating a second portion of the target tissue with optical energy, performing spectroscopic measurements on optical energy reflected and/or emitted by the target tissue upon illumination of the second portion of the target tissue with optical energy, and determining tissue characteristics of the target tissue based on the results of the spectroscopic measurements.

Method and apparatus for rapid detection and diagnosis of tissue abnormalities

An apparatus to interrogate, receive, and analyze full emission spectra for at least one fluorescence excitation wavelength and for at least one reflectance measurement to determine tissue characteristics. The apparatus includes a base unit having illumination, detection and control sub-units, the illumination sub-unit providing illumination optical energy for illuminating a target tissue and the detection sub-unit detecting tissue characteristics of a target tissue, a separate tissue interface unit, and a pathway coupling the base unit and the tissue interface unit. The system and apparatus may also include a tube for maintaining the distance between the tissue and units and for surrounding the tissue to prevent patient movement from being transmitted to the tissue.

System and method for determining tissue characteristics

An apparatus and method embodying the invention include utilizing a device with a limited number of interrogation devices to accomplish a large number of measurements on a target tissue (). An instrument embodying the invention includes a plurality of detection devices () that are arranged in a predetermined pattern on a tissue contacting face of the instrument. The face of the instrument is located adjacent the target tissue (), and a plurality of tissue characteristic measurement are simultaneously conducted. The detection devices () are moved to a new position, preferably without moving the tissue contacting face, and a second plurality of tissue characteristic measurements are simultaneously conducted. By conducting a series of measurements cycles in this manner, the ultimate resolution of the device is increased, while still obtaining a given resolution, which reduces potential cross-talk errors. Further, a plurality of tissue characteristics are simultaneously obtained from locations spaced across the target tissue () during each measurement cycle.

Apparatus and method for determining tissue characteristics

An apparatus and method embodying the invention including utilizing a device with a limited number of interrogation devices to accomplish a large number of measurements on a target tissue. An instrument embodying the invention includes a plurality of detection devices that are arranged in a predetermined pattern on a tissue contacting face of the instrument. The face of the instrument is located adjacent the target tissue, and a plurality of tissue characteristic measurement are simultaneously conducted. The detection devices are moved to a new position, preferably without moving the tissue contacting face, and a second plurality of tissue characteristic measurements are simultaneously conducted. By conducting a series of measurement cycles in this manner, the ultimate resolution of the device is increased, while still obtaining a given resolution, which reduces potential cross-talk errors. Further, a plurality of tissue characteristics are simultaneously obtained from locations spaced across the target tissue during each measurement cycle.

An apparatus and method according to the invention combine more than one optical modality (spectroscopic method), including but not limited to fluorescence, absorption, reflectance, polarization anisotropy, and phase modulation, to decouple morphological and biochemical changes associated with tissue changes due to disease, and thus to provide an accurate diagnosis of the tissue condition.

Multi-modal optical tissue diagnostic system

An apparatus embodying the invention includes a probe head with an interrogation surface that is intended to be positioned adjacent or pushed into contact with a target material or tissue. The probe head is constructed to have a plurality of interrogation devices arranged across the face of the interrogation surface. The probe head is also constructed so that the interrogation device can conform to a non-uniform or non-planar surface of the target tissue. In some embodiments, the interrogation surface may have a particular shape that conforms to the shape of a target material. In other embodiments, one or more portions of the interrogation surface could be movable with respect to the remaining portions so that the interrogation surface could be movable with respect to remaining portions so that the interrogation surface can thereby conform to a non-uniform surface. In still other embodiments, a plurality of separately moveable interrogation devices can be arranged across the interrogation surface. During a measurement process, the interrogation surface would be pressed into contact with the non-uniform surface to cause individual ones of the interrogation devices to move, thereby causing the probe head to conform to the non-uniform surface.

An apparatus and method embodying the invention include utilizing a device with a limited number of interrogation devices to accomplish a large number of measurements on a target tissue ( ). An instrument embodying the invention includes a plurality of detection devices ( ) that are arranged in a predetermined pattern on a tissue contacting face of the instrument. The face of the instrument is located adjacent the target tissue ( ), and a plurality of tissue characteristic measurement are simultaneously conducted. The detection devices ( ) are moved to a new position, preferably without moving the tissue contacting face, and a second plurality of tissue characteristic measurements are simultaneously conducted. By conducting a series of measurements cycles in this manner, the ultimate resolution of the device is increased, while still obtaining a given resolution, which reduces potential cross-talk errors. Further, a plurality of tissue characteristics are simultaneously obtained from locations spaced across the target tissue ( ) during each measurement cycle.

An apparatus embodying the invention includes a probe head with an interrogation surface that is intended to be positioned adjacent or pushed into contact with a target material or tissue. The probe head is constructed to have a plurality of interrogation devices arranged across the face of the interrogation surface. The probe head is also constructed so that the interrogation device can conform to a non-uniform or non-planar surface of the target tissue. In some embodiments, the interrogation surface may have a particular shape that conforms to the shape of a target material. In other embodiments, one or more portions of the interrogation surface could be movable with respect to the remaining portions so that the interrogation surface could be movable with respect to remaining portions so that the interrogation surface can the thereby conform to a non-uniform surface. In still other embodiments, a plurality of separately moveable interrogation devices can be arranged across the interrogation surface. During a measurement process, the interrogation surface would be pressed into contact with the non-uniform surface to cause individual ones of the interrogation devices to move, thereby causing the probe head to conform to the non-uniform surface.

An apparatus and method embodying the invention include utilizing a device intended to be inserted into a patient's body to determine a characteristic of a target tissue. In one apparatus and method, a device illuminates the target tissue with amplitude modulated excitation electromagnetic radiation, and the device senses a returned electromagnetic radiation. A phase shift between the excitation and return electromagnetic radiation is determined, and the phase shift is used to determine characteristics of the target tissue. A demodulation factor, representing ratios of the AC and DC components of the excitation and return electromagnetic radiation may also be calculated and used to determine characteristics of the target tissue. In another apparatus and method embodying the invention, a device illuminates a target tissue with polarized electromagnetic radiation, and a return electromagnetic radiation is sensed. The amplitude of the returned electromagnetic radiation is sensed in mutually perpendicular planes, and this information is used to determine an anisotropy factor. The anisotropy factor, in turn, is used to determine characteristics of the target tissue. In either of the above-described methods, the return radiation could be a portion of the excitation radiation that has been reflected or scattered from the target tissue, or the returned electromagnetic radiation could be fluorescent emissions generated by endogenous or exogenous fluorophores located in the target tissue.

A combined infection shield and calibration or reference target for use with a measuring instrument includes a removable calibration/reference layer. The removable calibration/reference layer has predetermined optical characteristics that can be utilized to calibrate or reference the instrument. The calibration/reference layer may have predetermined reflectance or scattering properties, a predetermined transmissivity to light, or it may have predetermined fluorescence properties. When the calibration/reference layer is removed from the remaining portions of the device, the portion of the calibration/reference layer having the predetermined optical characteristics is irrevocably altered such that the calibration/reference layer cannot be reused. The combined infection shield and target may be attached to a shield holder, which in turn is attached to an instrument. Alternatively, the infection shield and target may be attached directly to an instrument.

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Norcross, GA, United States of America

Shabbir Bakir Bambot