Method of using supercontinuum light for medical and biological applications
OwnerRobert R. Alfanoinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus are provided for producing SuperContinuum (SC) light for medical and biological applications is provided. Pulses are focused from a laser system into at least one of a pressurized cell and one or more fibers. A pump pulse is converted into the SC light at a specified rate of repetition. The SC light is applied at the specified rate of repetition to tissue for medical and biological applications.
Claims25
A method of photo-activating molecular components within a matrix and/or cells of biological tissue to be treated for a specified medical condition, comprising the steps of exposing the tissue to pulses of supercontinuum (SC) light that has a spectral irradiance equal to at least 1 GW/nm cm2 that creates nonlinear optical effects in materials that excites molecules into upper electronic states and disassociates polyatomic bonds causing a breakdown in organic molecules for at least one of the following medical and biological applications:
- healing wounds, burns, cuts and bruises, fusing arteries, reducing scarring, producing angiogenesis, stimulating nerves, and killing bacteria, viruses and cancer cells;
- selecting at least one predetermined band of the supercontinuum light to excite electronic states of native molecules and/or overtone and combinational vibrational states of the native molecules associated with specified medical condition;
- and adjusting the rate of said pulses and duration of exposure to treat the specified medical condition using one, two and three photon absorption using selected zones in SC light.
A method of photo-activating molecular components within a matrix and/or cells of biological tissue to be fused or welded at a point where the tissue is cut, comprising the steps of exposing the tissue to pulses of supercontinuum (SC) light that has a spectral irradiance equal to at least 1 GW/nm cm2 that creates nonlinear optical effects in materials that excites molecules into upper electronic states and disassociates polyatomic bonds causing a breakdown in organic molecules for at least one of the following medical and biological applications:
- healing wounds, burns, cuts and bruises, fusing arteries, reducing scarring, producing angiogenesis, stimulating nerves, and killing bacteria, viruses and cancer cells;
- selecting a band of light spanning the supercontinuum from approximately 280 nm-2500 nm to induce water absorption by exciting electronic states and/or overtone and combinational vibrational states of the native molecules surrounding the cut tissue;
- and adjusting the rate of said pulses and duration of exposure to fuse a cut together with minimal scarring.
A method of photo-activating molecular components within a matrix and/or cells of biological substances comprising the steps of exposing the biological substances to pulses of supercontinuum (SC) light that has a spectral irradiance equal to at least 1 GW/nm cm2 that creates nonlinear optical effects in materials that excites molecules into upper electronic states and disassociates polyatomic bonds causing a breakdown in organic molecules for at least one of the following medical and biological applications:
- healing wounds, burns, cuts and bruises, fusing arteries, reducing scarring, producing angiogenesis, stimulating nerves, and killing bacteria, viruses and cancer cells;
- selecting at least one predetermined band of supercontinuum light to excite electronic states of native molecules and/or overtone and combinational vibrational states of the native molecules associated with the biological substances by multi-photon absorption;
- and adjusting the rate of said pulses and duration of exposure to rupture the bonds of the biological substances and ionize polyatomic molecules to neutralize the biological substances.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.