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Method for the non-invasive measurement of tissue function and metabolism by determination of steady-state fluorescence anisotropy

  • US 9,215,982 B2
  • Filed: 11/09/2012
  • Issued: 12/22/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for non-destructively evaluating the functional capacity of a human tissue using a signal processing apparatus configured for non-invasive evaluation of the tissue in a clinical setting, the method comprising:

  • irradiating the tissue in a resting state with polarized light so as to cause one or more endogenous fluorophores in the tissue to fluoresce, the one or more endogenous fluorophores comprising lipoamide dehydrogenase (LipDH);

    determining a resting steady-state fluorescence anisotropy of emitted fluorescence in tissue in the resting state;

    stimulating the tissue to change its metabolism from the resting state into a stimulated state;

    irradiating the tissue in the stimulated stated with polarized light so as to cause one or more endogenous fluorophores in the tissue to fluoresce;

    determining a stimulated steady-state fluorescence anisotropy of emitted fluorescence in the tissue in the stimulated state;

    constructing a resting fluorescence anisotropy map based on the resting steady-state fluorescence anisotropy and a stimulated fluorescence anisotropy map based on the stimulated steady-state fluorescence anisotropy;

    determining a the functional capacity of the tissue by subtracting point by point or pixel by pixel the resting fluorescence anisotropy map from the stimulated fluorescence anisotropy map over the entire maps or within an area of interest; and

    comparing the functional capacity of the tissue to a functional capacity of a control tissue similarly evaluated to identify a tissue dysfunction.

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