The Texas A&m University System

Sensys Medical, Inc.

Instrumentation Metrics, Inc.

Tamara L Troy

Timothy Lewis Ruchti

Kevin H Hazen

Thomas B Blank

Alexander D Lorenz

Stephen F Malin

Suresh Thennadil

James Matthew Welch

Jeffery S Reynolds

Eva M Sevick-Muraca

A system and method for non-invasive biomedical optical imaging and spectroscopy with low-level light is described. The technique includes a modulated light source coupled to tissue to introduce excitation light. Fluorescent light emitted in response to the excitation light is detected with a sensor. The AC intensity and phase of the excitation and detected fluorescent light is provided to a processor operatively coupled to the sensor. A processor employs the measured emission kinetics of excitation and fluorescent light to 'map' the spatial variation of one or more fluorescence characteristics of the tissue and generate a corresponding image of the tissue via an output device. The fluorescence characteristic may be provided by exogenous contrast agents, endogenous fluorophores, or both. A technique to select or design an exogenous fluorescent contrast agent to improve image contrast is also disclosed.

Imaging of light scattering tissues with fluorescent contrast agents

The invention provides a class of samples that model the human body. This family of samples is based upon emulsions of oil in water with lecithin acting as the emulsifier. These solutions that have varying particle sizes may be spiked with basis set components (albumin, urea and glucose) to simulate skin tissues further. The family of samples is such that other organic compounds such as collagen, elastin, globulin and bilirubin may be added, as can salts such as Na , K and Cl . Layers of varying thickness with known index of refraction and particle size distributions may be generated using simple crosslinking reagents, such as collagen (gelatin). The resulting samples are flexible in each analyte's concentration and match the skin layers of the body in terms of the samples reduced scattering and absorption coefficients, &mgr;' and &mgr; . This family of samples is provided for use in the medical field where lasers and spectroscopy based analyzers are used in treatment of the body. In particular, knowledge may be gained on net analyte signal, photon depth of penetration, photon radial diffusion, photon interaction between tissue layers, photon density (all as a function of frequency) and on instrument parameter specifications such as resolution and required dynamic range (A/D bits required). In particular, applications to delineate such parameters have been developed for the application of noninvasive glucose determination in the near-IR region from 700 to 2500 nm with an emphasis on the region 1000 to 2500 nm (10,000 to 4,000 cm ).

Intra-serum and intra-gel for modeling human skin tissue

The invention provides a class of samples that model the human body. This family of samples is based upon emulsions of oil in water with lecithin acting as the emulsifier. These solutions that have varying particle sizes may be spiked with basis set components (albumin, urea and glucose) to simulate skin tissues further. The family of samples is such that other organic compounds such as collagen, elastin, globulin and bilirubin may be added, as can salts such as Na , K and Cl . Layers of varying thickness with known index of refraction and particle size distributions may be generated using simple crosslinking reagents, such as collagen (gelatin). The resulting samples are flexible in each analyte's concentration and match the skin layers of the body in terms of the samples reduced scattering and absorption coefficients, &mgr;m and &mgr;m . This family of samples is provided for use in the medical field where lasers and spectroscopy based analyzers are used in treatment of the body. In particular, knowledge may be gained on net analyte signal, photon depth of penetration, photon radial diffusion, photon interaction between tissue layers, photon density (all as a function of frequency) and on instrument parameter specifications such as resolution and required dynamic range (A/D bits required). In particular, applications to delineate such parameters have been developed for the application of noninvasive glucose determination in the near-IR region from 700 to 2500 nm with an emphasis on the region 1000 to 2500 nm (10,000 to 4,000 cm&minus; ).

Growing community of inventors

Chandler, AZ, United States of America

Tamara L Troy