Method and apparatus for producing an image of a substance using a radioactively tagged material
First Claim
1. A method of real-time two-dimensional imaging of an activity in a living tissue comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a solid state radiation detecting means comprising a detector plate having a flat radiation receiving surface, said flat radiation receiving surface including an array of radiation detecting elements;
b) introducing a radioactively tagged substance into said living tissue;
c) positioning said flat radiation receiving surface in close proximity to a portion of said living tissue;
d) continuously detecting said radioactively tagged substance using said array of radiation detecting elements, wherein said array of radiation detecting elements is held stationary during said continuously detecting step; and
e) continuously producing a two-dimensional image from information provided by said detecting step.
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Abstract
A two- and three-dimensional autoradiographical imaging system is provided which includes a charge coupled device for detecting the emission of radioactively labeled substances from materials such as tissue samples, brains of humans or animals, or substances used in electrophoresis applications. In a first aspect, a radioactively labeled substance is included in a tissue sample. The tissue sample is sequentially imaged by a charge coupled device and a sectioning tool such as a microtome to produce a plurality of two-dimensional images. A three-dimensional image of the tissue sample is generated by further processing of the plurality of two-dimensional images derived from the charge coupled device. In a further aspect of the invention, a charge coupled device is utilized to provide realtime imaging of metabolic or physiological parameters involved in brain activity. A charge coupled device is positioned adjacent a portion of brain tissue desired to be examined, the brain tissue having a radioactively labeled substance therein for detection by the charge coupled device. A two-dimensional realtime image is produced using the charge coupled device for use in clinical or behavioral studies. In another aspect of the invention, a charge coupled device is utilized in electrophoresis applications to monitor radioactively labeled or tagged substances during electrophoresis. In this application, use of the charge coupled device permits small sample volumes of material to be used during electrophoresis, as well as automatic end point detection.
92 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method of real-time two-dimensional imaging of an activity in a living tissue comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a solid state radiation detecting means comprising a detector plate having a flat radiation receiving surface, said flat radiation receiving surface including an array of radiation detecting elements; b) introducing a radioactively tagged substance into said living tissue; c) positioning said flat radiation receiving surface in close proximity to a portion of said living tissue; d) continuously detecting said radioactively tagged substance using said array of radiation detecting elements, wherein said array of radiation detecting elements is held stationary during said continuously detecting step; and e) continuously producing a two-dimensional image from information provided by said detecting step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus for realtime, two-dimensional in-vivo imaging of a radioactively tagged substance located in tissue of a living human being comprising:
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a) a solid state radiation detecting means encapsulated in a biocompatible material for stationarily detecting a radioactively tagged substance in said living tissue, said solid state radiation detecting means further comprising a detection plate having a flat radiation receiving surface, said flat radiation receiving surface including an array of radiation detecting elements; b) means for processing information detected by said array of radiation detecting elements into a two-dimensional real-time image of continuous tissue activity indicated by detection of said radioactively tagged substance. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. The method of producing an image of a substance containing a radioactively tagged material in an electrophoresis gel comprising the steps of:
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a) providing at least one solid state radiation detecting means adjacent said substance, said solid state radiation detecting means further comprising a detection plate having a flat radiation receiving surface, said flat radiation receiving surface including an array of radiation detecting elements; b) detecting said radioactively tagged material in said substance using said array of radiation detecting elements wherein said array of radiation detecting elements is held stationary during said detecting step; c) creating a first image of said radioactively tagged material in said array of radiation detecting elements; and d) electronically transmitting said first image from said array of radiation detecting elements to a processor to produce a second image of said radioactively tagged material in said substance derived from said first image. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An apparatus for producing an image of a radioactively tagged substance in an electrophoresis gel comprising:
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a) at least one solid state radiation detecting means, said solid state radiation detecting means further comprising a detection plate having a flat radiation receiving surface, said flat radiation receiving surface including an array of radiation detecting elements, said array of radiation detecting elements creating and storing a first image of said radioactively tagged material; b) an electrophoresis gel chamber further comprising an electrophoresis gel having at least one radioactively tagged substance therein; and c) electrical connection means for transmitting a first image in said array of radiation detecting elements to a means for producing a second image of said radioactively tagged substance in said electrophoresis gel from said first image in said radiation detecting elements through detection of radiation emitted from said radioactively tagged substance. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification