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A depth-selective fiber-optic probe for characterization of superficial tissue

Detailed Technology Description

None

*Abstract

BackgroundThe in vivo characterization of superficial tissue is of significant importance for many biomedical applications, such as cancer detection, and investigation of skin pigmentation and hydration. Due to the multi-layered structures of most biological tissue, the characterization of the avascular superficial epithelium is often confounded by the contribution of the scattering and absorption from the underlying connective tissue and blood vessels. To selectively assess the superficial tissue, the depth-selective measurement is crucial to distinguish photons originating in the superficial tissue from those propagating into the deeper tissue.TechnologyInvestigators have developed a compact and simple two-channel fiber-optic depth-selective probe for in vivo assessment of superficial tissue. The inventors refer to this probe as the (depth-selective probe). The depth-selective probe efficiently incorporates three approaches to limit the penetration depth: (1) minimizing the spot size of illumination beam, (2) reducing separation distance between illumination and collection areas, and (3) enlarging the collection angle, via a fiber-coupling high-index balllens and appropriate positioning of fibers and fiber-lens distance, while maintaining sufficient light collection efficiency without specular reflection.Advantage* Probe allows the selection of a constant and shallow physical penetration depth, insensitive to a wide range of tissue-relevant scattering coefficients and anisotropy factors. * The probe selects a very short physical penetration depth of approximately 200 microns.Stage of Development* Prototype- inventors validated the performance of the depth selective probe by both numerical simulation and experimental studies with tissue phantoms. * The capability of the depth-selective probe for in vivo tissue assessment was further demonstrated in multi-layered skin tissue with three distinct tissue sites. Inventors found that the reflectance spectra obtained with the depth-selective probe provided dramatically different information about tissue properties compared to those obtained with a standard reflectance spectroscopy probe. The quantification of absorption and scattering properties of the superficial tissue could be significantly biased without the depth-selective evaluation.Provisional Patent Application filed

*Principal Investigator

Name: Can Fang, Research Technician

Department:

Name: Yang Liu

Department: Med-Medicine

Country/Region

USA