Systems and methods of light-scattering based in vivo flow cytometry
AssigneeMassachusetts General Hospital
InventorsIrene Georgakoudi, Charles Lin
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Abstract
The present invention provides methods and systems for performing in-vivo flow cytometry to obtain desired information regarding one or more cell types of interest flowing through a subject's circulatory system. In one embodiment of the invention, a portion of the subject's circulating blood is illuminated with radiation having multiple wavelength components, and the backscattered radiation generated in response to the excitation radiation is detected at a plurality of scattering angles and analyzed to derive the desired information.
Claims47
A method of performing in vivo flow cytometry, comprising
- illuminating in vivo a portion of a subject's circulating blood containing at least a cell type of interest with radiation having at least one selected wavelength component,
- measuring intensity of radiation backscattered from the illuminated blood at at least one angular location, and
- analyzing said intensity measurements to derive information regarding said cell type.
A method of performing in vivo flow cytometry, comprising
- illuminating in vivo a portion of a subject's circulating blood with radiation having at least two selected wavelength components,
- for each wavelength component, measuring intensity of backscattered radiation from the illuminated blood at two or more angular locations, and
- analyzing said intensity measurements to derive information regarding one or more cell types of interest present in said circulating blood.
A method for in vivo detection and quantification of a cell type of interest present in a subject's circulatory system, comprising
- illuminating in vivo a subject's circulating blood with radiation having multiple wavelength components,
- detecting backscattered radiation at two or more angular regions having different scattering angles relative to a central axis of said backscattered radiation, and
- analyzing said detected radiation as a function of wavelength and scattering angle to derive selected information regarding said cell type.
A system for performing in vivo flow cytometry in a live subject, comprising:
- a first radiation source for generating radiation having a first selected wavelength component,
- a second radiation source for generating radiation having a second selected wavelength component,
- an imaging system optically coupled to said first and second radiation sources for illuminating with first and second wavelength components in vivo a portion of blood circulating in a subject's vessel,
- an objective lens optically coupled to the illuminated vessel to focus at least a portion of backscattered radiation received from said vessel onto a focal plane,
- one or more detectors optically coupled to said focal plane and positioned so as to detect said radiation backscattered from said circulating blood in response to illumination by said first and second wavelength components at at least two different scattering angles, and
- an analysis module operating on said detected backscattered radiation to derive selected information regarding at least one cell type of interest present in said circulating blood.
A system for performing in vivo cytometry in a live subject, comprising:
- a radiation source generating radiation having multiple wavelength components,
- an optical system for directing said radiation onto a focal plane so as to illuminate a portion of the subject's blood flowing through a vessel at least partially disposed in said focal plane,
- at least one detector optically coupled to said focal plane for detecting radiation backscattered from said illuminated blood at said multiple wavelengths and at a plurality of scattering angles, and
- an analysis module operating on said detected backscattered radiation to derive selected information regarding a cell type of interest present in the subject's blood based on intensities of said backscattered radiation at said multiple wavelengths and said plurality of scattering angles.
A system for performing in vivo flow cytometry in a live subject, comprising
- a source for generating radiation having at least one wavelength component,
- an optical system for focusing said radiation onto a portion of the subject's circulating blood,
- at least one detector positioned to detect radiation backscattered from said illuminated blood at at least one angular scattering location, and
- an analysis module operating on said detected backscattered radiation to derive selected information regarding at least one cell type of interest present in the subject's blood.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.