Method and apparatus for noninvasive assessment of skin condition and diagnosis of skin abnormalities
First Claim
1. A method for obtaining spectroscopic information from living tissue of a subject comprising:
- (a) irradiating a tissue of interest in a subject with light having an excitation wavelength and that passes from a light source through a first adjustable lens along a first optical axis;
(b) passing spectra that are emitted by the tissue through a second adjustable lens along a second optical axis;
(c) collecting spectra that are passed through the second adjustable lens;
(d) analyzing the collected spectra to determine a target signal associated with an analyte of interest;
(e) deriving a correction signal from the target signal; and
adjusting the position of the first adjustable lens or the second adjustable lens along the optical axis of the lens on the basis of the correction signal so as to enhance the target signal.
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method for obtaining feedback to drive a servo system for aligning and maintaining alignment in optical systems that bring light to an in vivo skin sample, for adjusting the focus of the optical system, and for adjusting the net depth of focus of the optical system within the in vivo system under characterization. The invention additionally provides a method for obtaining feedback to drive a servo system for aligning and maintaining alignment in optical systems that collect light from an in vivo skin sample, and for adjusting the focus of the optical system. These methods comprise adjusting the angle of incidence of electromagnetic radiation and/or providing a shielding lens to block scattered incident light, or otherwise limiting the field of view of the Raman scattered radiation collection system to exclude optical surfaces of the excitation delivery portion of the optical system. Also provided is a method for identifying spectroscopic depth markers in tissues. In one embodiment, the method comprises discriminating between Raman signals originating on outer portions of skin from signals originating from substances deeper within the skin or other tissues. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method for detecting skin abnormalities and for assessing the aging of skin and related tissues. The method comprises characterizing the content of the skin using Raman spectroscopy. In one embodiment, the collagen, elastin, and or keratin content of the skin is characterized.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method for obtaining spectroscopic information from living tissue of a subject comprising:
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(a) irradiating a tissue of interest in a subject with light having an excitation wavelength and that passes from a light source through a first adjustable lens along a first optical axis;
(b) passing spectra that are emitted by the tissue through a second adjustable lens along a second optical axis;
(c) collecting spectra that are passed through the second adjustable lens;
(d) analyzing the collected spectra to determine a target signal associated with an analyte of interest;
(e) deriving a correction signal from the target signal; and
adjusting the position of the first adjustable lens or the second adjustable lens along the optical axis of the lens on the basis of the correction signal so as to enhance the target signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A non-invasive method for spectroscopically probing a target layer of skin in a subject comprising:
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(a) irradiating a target layer of skin in a subject with light having an excitation wavelength that passes from a light source through a first adjustable lens;
(b) passing spectra that are emitted by the tissue through a second adjustable lens;
(c) collecting spectra that are passed through the second adjustable lens;
(d) analyzing the collected spectra to determine a target signal associated with the target layer of skin; and
(e) adjusting the position of the first adjustable lens or the second adjustable lens so as to increase the target signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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17. A method for detecting abnormalities in living tissue of a subject comprising:
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(a) irradiating a tissue of interest in a subject with light having an excitation wavelength and that passes from a light source through a first adjustable lens along a first optical axis;
(b) passing spectra that are emitted by the tissue through a second adjustable lens;
(c) collecting spectra that are passed through the second adjustable lens along a second optical axis;
(d) analyzing the collected spectra to determine a target signal associated with a tissue feature indicative of an abnormality;
(e) deriving a correction signal from the target signal; and
(f) adjusting the position of the first adjustable lens or the second adjustable lens along the optical axis of the lens on the basis of the correction signal so as to enhance the target signal.
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38. A method for stabilizing a wavelength of light emitted by a diode laser comprising:
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(a) irradiating a specimen with excitation light from the diode laser;
(b) collecting Raman spectra at a positive target wavelength and at a negative target wavelength emitted by the irradiated specimen, wherein the positive target wavelength is associated with an abundant feature in the specimen and wherein the negative target wavelength is associated with a scant feature in the specimen;
(c) determining a quantitative difference between the spectra emitted at the positive target wavelength and the spectra emitted at the negative target wavelength;
(d) relaying to the diode laser a signal proportional to the determined difference; and
(e) regulating the temperature of the diode laser so as to maintain a maximal difference between the spectra emitted at the positive target wavelength and the spectra emitted at the negative target wavelength.
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44. An apparatus for enhancing spectroscopic information obtained from living tissue of a subject comprising:
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(a) a signal analyzer adapted to receive input from a detector; and
(b) a processor connected to the signal analyzer, wherein the processor is capable of producing an output signal that is proportional to a quantity of Raman spectra received by the signal analyzer from the detector. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification