Method of using supercontinuum light for medical and biological applications

摘要

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.

主权项

1. 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.