System and method for measuring concentration of component included in body fluid

Abstract

To provide a system which accurately measures the concentration of a target component of measurement, included in a body fluid such as a blood containing various components.SOLUTION: A system 30 for measuring the concentration of a component included in a body fluid has: a device 32 for obtaining data 52 which includes, in a time-series manner, a spectrum 51 obtained by applying a laser beam to at least some of a blood 5t flowing in a blood vessel 5a; and an analysis device 20 which determines the concentration of the target component in the body fluid by analyzing the spectrum 51 to be analyzed which is included in the obtained data on the basis of an analysis reference spectrum 53 which is highly similar to the spectrum to be analyzed from among a plurality of reference spectrums 54 in which any one of a plurality of main constituent components of the blood is primarily reflected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for measuring the concentration of a component contained in a body fluid of a living organism. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a method for distinguishing the type of cells based on the Raman spectrum obtained from the cells, a learning method, a discrimination device, and a computer program that enable more accurate discrimination of the type of cells than before. In the method for distinguishing the type of cells contained in a sample, a Raman spectrum is obtained from an unclassified cell, a plurality of coincidences indicating the degree to which the Raman spectrum of the unclassified cell matches a plurality of principal component spectra obtained by principal component analysis of a plurality of Raman spectra consisting of Raman spectra obtained one by one from a plurality of cells whose types are known, and a plurality of principal component scores corresponding to each of the plurality of cells whose types are known obtained by the principal component analysis are classified by type using a learning model using supervised learning, and the plurality of coincidences are classified based on the result, thereby distinguishing the type of the unclassified cell.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a technique for improving the accuracy of plasma glucose concentration measurement, which involves measuring plasma glucose through the following steps: a sample preparation step for hemolyzing blood cells in blood to prepare a measurement sample, a whole blood glucose measurement step for measuring the glucose concentration of whole blood using the measurement sample, and a whole blood body component ratio calculation step for calculating the liquid component ratio of whole blood from the ratio of blood cells to plasma in the blood, and the liquid component ratios of blood cells and plasma, which are known values. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO2019 / 117177 [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-27008 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Body fluids of a living organism, such as blood, contain blood cells and plasma as their main components, and blood cells include red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc. In addition, in order to check the health of a living organism, blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, creatinine, albumin, etc., in addition to the main components, are required to be measured, and plasma glucose level is required as a measurement standard for blood glucose level. It is not easy to accurately measure the concentration of a component that is the target of measurement contained in body fluids such as blood, which contains a variety of components. Furthermore, the measured value of a specific component, such as plasma glucose level, may be important as an index. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a system for measuring the concentration of a component contained in a body fluid, which includes a device for acquiring data including a time series of spectra obtained by irradiating at least a portion of the body fluid in a flowing state with a laser beam, and an analysis device for analyzing an analysis target spectrum included in the acquired data based on an analysis reference spectrum having a high similarity to the analysis target spectrum among a plurality of reference spectra that mainly reflect any one of a plurality of main components of the body fluid, and determining the concentration of the target component in the body fluid.

[0007] It is being attempted to obtain the glucose concentration in blood from a Raman spectrum obtained by irradiating a body fluid, for example, blood, with a laser beam. One example of the test method is to average a plurality of Raman spectra obtained in a time series according to the conventional procedure for measuring the glucose concentration in whole blood, and obtain the glucose concentration from the height or shape of the glucose-related peak contained in the averaged spectrum. However, the inventor of the present application found that when Raman spectra are obtained from a body fluid in a flowing state, for example, blood flowing through a blood vessel, at intervals shorter than the speed of blood cells, the Raman spectra do not indicate the average concentration, and the spectrum changes over time, especially in a relatively thin blood vessel.

[0008] It may be possible to average these spectra to obtain a spectrum of whole blood. However, if the spectrum that changes over time contains information on blood cells and plasma, which are the main components of blood, as well as information on different components such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, averaging a plurality of spectra reflecting each of the main components may result in information indicating the concentration of a target component, which is generally smaller than the information on the concentration of the main components, such as information on the concentration of glucose, being buried by the averaging. Therefore, simply averaging a large number of spectra does not improve the measurement accuracy, and may instead make it difficult to accurately measure the concentration of the target component.

[0009] On the other hand, the inventors of the present application have found that in data containing a plurality of spectra obtained by irradiating a flowing body fluid with a laser beam in a time series, it is possible to classify (distinguish, resolve, fractionate) the plurality of spectra in a time series, and that the spectra contain information obtained by time-resolving (fractionating) the main components of the body fluid. That is, by acquiring a spectrum of a body fluid in which the main components are not uniformly contained while the body fluid is flowing, it is possible to obtain information obtained by fractionating the main components. Therefore, by analyzing the spectrum of the analysis target based on (as a reference) an analysis reference spectrum that is highly similar to the spectrum of the analysis target among a plurality of reference spectra that mainly reflect one of the main components of the body fluid, the concentration of the target component contained in the body fluid can be measured with high accuracy. Furthermore, it is possible to identify one of the main components and determine the concentration of the target component contained therein.

[0010] For example, in the case of blood, the multiple reference spectra include those containing blood cell components as the main components, those containing plasma components as the main components, and those containing a mixture of these components. Reference spectra containing blood cell components as the main components may be further divided into those containing red blood cell components as the main components. By analyzing a spectrum to be analyzed that is similar to a spectrum containing mainly plasma components among the multiple reference spectra, for example, by referring to an average spectrum containing plasma components as an analysis reference spectrum, it is possible to prevent information on other main components, for example, blood cell components, from becoming a disadvantage (noise) as reference information during analysis, and to improve the measurement accuracy of the concentration of target components such as glucose. Furthermore, it is also possible to directly obtain the plasma glucose concentration, which is a criterion for determining diabetes, etc.

[0011] The reference spectrum mainly including components such as blood cell components and plasma components may be provided in advance as a spectrum including information on each of the components. The analytical reference spectrum may be determined based on a group of similar spectra including highly similar spectra that appear repeatedly among a plurality of spectra included in data acquired in a time series. Furthermore, the reference spectrum may be obtained from the group of similar spectra and a plurality of standard spectra mainly including any of a plurality of main components of the body fluid. The system may also include a device for generating a reference spectrum, or may include a device for automatically generating (self-learning) a reference spectrum from a highly similar spectrum.

[0012] The device for acquiring data may be a device for acquiring data from the cloud or the like, or may be a detection device for acquiring data from a living body on-site. The detection device may include a Raman spectroscopy device for acquiring a Raman spectrum, or may be a device for acquiring data non-invasively from a living body. The body fluid is typically blood, and the plurality of main components may include a plasma component and a blood cell component. The plurality of main components may include at least one of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and a plasma component. The target component may include at least one of glucose, hemoglobin A1c, creatinine, and albumin.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is a method for detecting a component of a body fluid. The method includes acquiring data including a time series of spectra obtained by irradiating a flowing body fluid with a laser beam, and analyzing an analysis target spectrum included in the acquired data based on an analysis reference spectrum having high similarity to the analysis target spectrum among a plurality of reference spectra that mainly reflect any one of a plurality of main components of the body fluid, thereby determining a concentration of the target component in the body fluid. The method may further include determining the analysis reference spectrum based on a group of highly similar spectra that repeatedly appear among the plurality of spectra included in the acquired data.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is a method for measuring the concentration of a component contained in a body fluid, the method comprising: acquiring data including a time series of spectra obtained by irradiating laser light onto at least a portion of the flowing body fluid; and analyzing a spectrum to be analyzed that is included in a group of similar spectra that includes highly similar spectra that repeatedly appear among a plurality of spectra included in the acquired data, based on an analytical reference spectrum that includes spectral components common to the group of similar spectra, thereby determining the concentration of the target component in the body fluid.

[0015] Determining may include determining a concentration of the target component in any of a plurality of major components in the bodily fluid, and acquiring may include acquiring data from the living body, which may include acquiring a Raman spectrum, or acquiring data non-invasively by these methods. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system for acquiring a CARS spectrum of blood flowing through a blood vessel. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a probe. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CARS spectrum of blood. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CARS spectrum of whole blood. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CARS spectrum obtained from a living body (human body). [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CARS spectrum of blood flowing through a blood vessel. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CARS spectrum of the main components of red blood cells. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CARS spectrum mainly consisting of plasma components. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 shows an example of a CARS spectrum of blood reflecting glucose concentration. [Figure 10]FIG. 1 shows the correlation between glucose concentration and the relevant peak intensity in the RBC-like CARS spectrum. [Figure 11] Correlation between glucose concentration and relevant peak intensities in plasma-like CARS spectra. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for measuring a glucose concentration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] FIG. 1 shows an overview of a system (body fluid testing system, body monitoring system, blood testing system) that acquires a Raman spectrum derived from blood by observing (monitoring) blood flowing through the blood vessels of a sample (living body) in relation to the present invention. One example of this system is a body monitoring system 30 that irradiates a blood vessel 5a of a living body 5 with laser light, acquires a CARS (Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering) spectrum 51 with the blood flowing through the blood vessel 5a as an observation (detection) object 5t, and monitors the state of the living body 5. The body monitoring system 30 may include a drug administration system 38 that injects a drug to maintain the health of the living body 5. One example of the body monitoring system 30 is a wearable mobile terminal with built-in communication function and user interface such as a smart watch. One example of the drug administration system 38 is a system that injects a drug through the skin of the living body 5, and may include an injector 38a and a supply device (supply unit) 38b that supplies a predetermined drug to the injector 38a.

[0018] An example of the biological monitoring system (biological control system) 30 is a measurement system (blood glucose measurement device) for measuring blood glucose levels. The biological monitoring system 30 has a detection device 31 including a Raman spectroscopy device (optical system) 10 that acquires a CARS spectrum 51 from blood 5t flowing through a blood vessel 5a, and a blood glucose monitor 33 that analyzes the CARS spectrum 51 acquired from the detection device 31 via an input interface 32 and outputs a plasma blood glucose level. The Raman spectroscopy device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and shows a system in which a mouse's ear is used as a living body 5 for an experiment, and blood 5t flowing through a blood vessel 5a of the ear is observed. The Raman spectroscopy device 10 may be any device that can non-invasively acquire a signal of blood 5t flowing through a blood vessel 5a through the skin of the living body 5, and is not limited to this example. The Raman spectroscopy device 10 may also be a device equipped with a minimally invasive method, such as controlling the optical path with an implant embedded in the living body, or forming a blood flow just under the skin by embedding an artificial blood vessel (bioport) in the living body.

[0019] The Raman spectrometer 10 includes a probe (probe end, sampler) 13 for irradiating blood 5t in a blood vessel to be observed with laser light to obtain CARS light, a laser source 11 for irradiating the blood 5t with pump light (e.g., wavelength 1030 nm) 59p and Stokes light (e.g., wavelength 1100-1300 nm) 59s via the probe 13, and a spectrometer 12 for obtaining a spectrum 51 of the CARS light 50 emitted from the blood 5t. The Stokes light 59s may be a broadband type having a wide wavelength band, or may be a narrowband type using a variable length laser. Furthermore, the laser source 11 may further output a probe light (e.g., wavelength 780 nm), and the Raman spectrometer 10 may obtain a time-dependent CARS spectrum taking into account a delay time.

[0020] The Raman spectrometer 10 has a configuration suitable for an experiment, and further includes a visible light source 15 for optically checking the position of the laser irradiated on the sample 5 via the probe 13, a camera (CCD camera) 16 for checking the position of the laser by the visible light transmitted through the sample 5, and dichroic mirrors 17 and 18 for separating the laser and CARS light from the visible light. An example of the dichroic mirror 17 for separating the laser light from the visible light is a filter that transmits wavelengths of 750 nm or more, and an example of the dichroic mirror 18 for separating the CARS light from the visible light is an SP filter centered on a wavelength of 805 nm. The Raman spectrometer 10 may include optical elements such as mirrors M1 to M4 and prisms for forming an appropriate optical path.

[0021] A pulsed laser of fS (femtoseconds) to pS (picoseconds) is emitted from the laser source 11, and the spectrometer 12 intermittently (in a time series) obtains a spectrum (first spectrum) 51 of the analysis target integrated in units of, for example, 8 mS (milliseconds). Therefore, the detection device 31 can output data 52 including a plurality of spectra 51 of the analysis target obtained in a time series, and the blood glucose monitor 33 can obtain the data 52 via the input interface 32. Note that the pulse width and integration time are merely examples.

[0022] The blood glucose monitor 33 includes an analysis device 20 that analyzes a spectrum 51 of an analysis target included in data 52 acquired via an interface 32. The analysis device 20 includes a first analysis unit 21 that analyzes the spectrum 51 of an analysis target, which reflects a component of a body fluid obtained by irradiating the body fluid with a laser beam, based on an analysis reference spectrum 53 that is highly similar to the spectrum 51 of the analysis target among a plurality of reference spectra (second spectra) 54 that mainly reflect any one of a plurality of main components of the body fluid, and determines the concentration of a target component, for example, glucose, contained in the body fluid. The first analysis unit 21 may be an analysis unit that determines the concentration using an analysis method such as multivariate analysis (principal component analysis) based on the analysis reference spectrum 53. The first analysis unit 21 may also include a learning model (AI(1)) 21a that has previously learned to estimate the concentration of a predetermined target component based on the analysis reference spectrum 53 that is highly similar to the spectrum 51 of the analysis target.

[0023] The analysis device 20 may further include a reference spectrum generation device 22 that determines an analysis reference spectrum 53 based on a similar spectrum group 55 including highly similar spectra that appear repeatedly among a plurality of spectra 51 included in the acquired data 52. The generation device 22 may include a device (AI(2)) 22a that self-learns a plurality of reference spectra (second spectra) 52 from a group 55 of a plurality of spectra having high correlation or similarity between some spectral components among a plurality of spectra (first spectra) 51 to be analyzed.

[0024] The analysis device 20 obtains the concentration of the glucose (target) component contained in the blood 5t by the learning model 21a from a plurality of analysis target spectra 51 obtained in time series (over time, intermittently) by irradiating a flowing body fluid (blood) 5t with a laser beam and obtained by the Raman spectroscopic device 10. The learning model 21a may be learned to obtain the concentration of the target component such as glucose based on a plurality of reference spectra (second spectra) 54 given in advance and stored in the library 25. The self-learning device 22a may refer to a standard spectrum 56 of a main component of blood, such as red blood cells and plasma, obtained in advance, and generate (self-learn) a reference spectrum 54 including an analysis reference spectrum 53 serving as a standard for determining the concentration from a group 55 of a plurality of spectra having high similarity or correlation with the standard spectrum 56 among the plurality of analysis target spectra 51 obtained by the Raman spectroscopic device 10.

[0025] The analysis device 20 may include a function of analyzing a spectrum 51 to be analyzed that is included in a group of similar spectra 55, which includes highly similar spectra that appear repeatedly among a plurality of spectra 51 included in the acquired data 52, based on an analysis reference spectrum 53 that includes spectral components common to the group of similar spectra, through cooperation between the learning models 21a and 22a, and determining the concentration of the target component in the body fluid.

[0026] The biological monitoring system 30 may include an output interface 35 that outputs the obtained concentration of a target component such as glucose. The output interface 35 may output the measured concentration of glucose in blood, or may include a function (plasma glucose output device) 35a that outputs the concentration of glucose (in the main component) that flows with plasma by referring to a main component, such as plasma, contained in the analysis reference spectrum 53 referenced to measure the concentration (plasma glucose level). The output interface 35 may include a function 35b that outputs the concentration of the target component contained in other main components such as red blood cells, not limited to plasma, for each component.

[0027] An example of the probe 13 is shown in Figure 2. The probe 13 clamps the earlobe 5 of a mouse, which is a sample of the system 30, and irradiates the blood 5t flowing through the blood vessels 5a of the earlobe 5 with laser light 59p and 59s to non-invasively acquire CARS light 50. The probe 13 includes upper and lower light-transmitting plates 13a and 13b that clamp the earlobe 5, and an actuator, such as a piezoelectric actuator 13c, that can change the distance between the plates 13a and 13b. The actuator 13c of the probe 13 functions as a mechanism that compresses the blood vessels 5a to control the flow rate of the blood 5t.

[0028] By compressing the blood vessel 5a, it is possible to control the cross-sectional area of ​​the blood vessel 5a, and the flow rate of the blood 5t flowing through the blood vessel 5a can be controlled. For example, by reducing the cross-sectional area, the blood flow can be slowed down, and the passage of blood cell components such as red blood cells, which are the main components contained in the blood 5t, can be inhibited, and it is easy to create a time timing during which the blood cell components (red blood cells) pass intermittently and the plasma components become the main components during that time. Therefore, by measuring the blood 5t flowing through the blood vessel 5a, the main components contained in the blood 5t, for example, red blood cells and plasma, can be measured in a time-fractionated state, and a spectrum in which the main components are more characteristically expressed can be obtained. The probe 13 may be a finger clip type or other type that pinches a thin part of the skin, or a type that is pressed against the skin and applies pressure to the capillaries on the surface of the skin. The probe 13 may be of a type that acquires CARS light 50 that has passed through the skin in the forward direction relative to the incident laser beams 59p and 59s, or may be of a type that acquires CARS light 50 that is emitted backward or obliquely relative to the incident laser beams 59p and 59s. Note that the size shown in FIG. 2 is suitable for pinching and applying pressure to the earlobe of a mouse as the sample 5, and the size of the probe 13 is not limited to this.

[0029] Figure 3 shows an example of a CARS spectrum of blood 5t (in-vitro, ex-vivo). Figure 3(a) shows a CARS spectrum (raw spectrum) 61 of a sample (whole blood) that was hemolyzed after collection of 5t of mouse blood, compared with a CARS spectrum 69 of water. The CARS spectrum 61 of the hemolyzed sample shows clear differences from the CARS spectrum 69 of water in some regions 68. Figure 3(b) shows a spectrum (MEM spectrum) 62 analyzed by MEM (maximum entropy method) of the CARS spectrum of the hemolyzed sample (hemolyzed whole blood). The features of the raw spectrum 61 are emphasized in the MEM spectrum 62.

[0030] FIG. 4 shows an example of a CARS spectrum 51 obtained from blood 5t (in-vivo) flowing through a blood vessel 5a of a mouse ear 5 by the above-mentioned system 30. FIG. 4(a) shows a CARS spectrum (MEM spectrum) 62 of whole blood (hemolyzed blood) in FIG. 3(b) for comparison, and FIG. 4(b) shows the MEM spectrum 51 obtained by the system 30. These in-vivo CARS spectra 51 have similar characteristics to the MEM spectrum 62 of the in-vitro hemolyzed sample shown in FIG. 3(b). Therefore, it can be seen that the system 30 can accurately obtain a CARS spectrum 51 showing blood 5t flowing through a blood vessel 5a in a non-invasive manner.

[0031] The MEM spectrum 51 shown in FIG. 4(b) shows the results of measurement over one second with an integration time of 25 msec (milliseconds), and shows an overview of 40 spectra obtained over one second.

[0032] FIG. 5 shows a comparison of several examples of CARS spectra obtained from a living body. FIG. 5(a) shows a CARS spectrum (MEM spectrum) 62 of hemolysis (whole blood). FIG. 5(b) shows an example of a CARS spectrum (MEM spectrum) 63 of shallow skin. FIG. 5(c) shows an example of a CARS spectrum (MEM spectrum) 64 of tissue under the skin with blood vessels removed. Each spectrum shows different characteristics, and it can be seen that the system 30 can distinguish the CARS spectrum originating from blood vessels when the blood vessel 5a is the observation target. Furthermore, in the system 30, the position where the laser is irradiated to obtain the CARS spectrum can be confirmed by the image using the camera 16.

[0033] FIG. 6 shows a more detailed analysis of a CARS spectrum (MEM spectrum, in-vivo) 51 obtained from blood 5t flowing through a blood vessel 5a by this system 30. FIG. 6(a) shows a CARS spectrum (MEM spectrum) 51 integrated in units of 8 msec (milliseconds), in which a plurality of spectra obtained in a time series (intermittently) over one second are superimposed. These CARS spectra 51 are examples of spectra contained in the data 52 in the system 30 shown in FIG. 1. These spectra 51 are CARS spectra obtained from blood 5t, and although the overall trends appear to be similar, it can be seen that several patterns of spectra with different peak heights and the like appear repeatedly.

[0034] FIG. 6(b) shows the results of principal component analysis (PCA) of these spectra 51. Principal component analysis, which is one of the multivariate analyses, can synthesize a small number of uncorrelated variables that are principal components that best represent the overall variation from a large number of correlated variables, thereby reducing the dimension of the data. In this example, the spectra 51 acquired from the blood can be classified into three groups 55a, 55b, and 55c that are highly similar. It is assumed that the first group 55a is a group of spectra that mainly reflects components of blood cells, particularly red blood cells (RBCs), the second group 55b is a group of spectra that mainly reflect components of plasma, and the third group 55c is a group of spectra that is a mixture of red blood cells and plasma.

[0035] FIG. 6(c) shows a representative spectrum of the first group (spectrum group) 55a, for example, spectrum 53a obtained by averaging the spectra of group 55a. This spectrum (RBC spectrum) 53a is assumed to be a spectrum that strongly reflects blood cells, particularly red blood cells (RBC). FIG. 6(d) shows a representative spectrum of the second group (spectrum group) 55b, for example, spectrum (plasma spectrum) 53b obtained by averaging the spectra of group 55b. This spectrum 53b is assumed to be a spectrum that strongly reflects plasma components. In this way, it can be seen that the CARS spectrum 51 obtained from blood 5t flowing through blood vessel 5a repeatedly includes three patterns of spectra over time: spectra belonging to spectrum group 55a that mainly reflect red blood cell components, spectra belonging to spectrum group 55b that mainly reflect plasma components, and spectra belonging to spectrum group 55c that reflect both red blood cell and plasma components.

[0036] According to the analysis of the inventors, it is determined that the time interval at which the spectra belonging to the spectrum groups 55a to 55c with different patterns are repeated depends on the blood flow velocity. The flow velocity of the blood 5t in the blood vessel 5a changes due to the pressure compressing the blood vessel 5a causing the diameter and shape of the blood vessel to change, or due to the change in the blood glucose level after a meal, and it was found that the change in the blood flow velocity is significantly related to the change in the pattern of the CARS spectrum 51 obtained from the blood. In addition, it is considered that by further slowing down the speed (blood flow) of the blood 5t flowing through the blood vessel 5a or shortening the integration time of the CARS spectrum 51 obtained from the flowing blood 5t, it is possible to identify a spectrum that strongly reflects other components of the blood, such as platelets and white blood cells, as a repeated pattern.

[0037] Fig. 7 shows a comparison between an example of a CARS spectrum 56a (Fig. 7(a)) obtained from a sample in which red blood cells were hemolyzed outside the body (in-vitro) and an example of a CARS spectrum 51a (Fig. 7(b)) obtained non-invasively (in-vivo) by the system 30, the timing of which is thought to reflect the components of red blood cells. These spectra are thought to have common features.

[0038] FIG. 8 shows an example of a CARS spectrum 56b (FIG. 8(a)) obtained from a plasma sample outside the body (in-vitro), and an example of a CARS spectrum 51b (FIG. 8(b)) obtained non-invasively (in-vivo) by the system 30 at a timing that is considered to reflect plasma components. These spectra are considered to have common characteristics. Therefore, when the blood 5t flowing through the blood vessel 5a is observed as the object of observation and the CARS spectrum 51 is obtained continuously in a time series or intermittently as a result of averaging or integrating in a short time, it is found that CARS spectra 51b and 51a, which respectively reflect different components among the main components of the blood 5t, for example, plasma and blood cells (red blood cells in this example), are obtained at a predetermined timing according to the blood flow. In particular, when the blood flowing through capillaries or similar thin blood vessels near the skin surface is observed as the object of observation, this tendency is considered to be remarkable.

[0039] FIG. 9(a) shows a number of CARS spectra 51 obtained in one second after injecting a glucose solution into the blood of a mouse 5 in the system 30 of this example. It is considered that these CARS spectra 51 reflect the change in glucose concentration in the blood 5t. Furthermore, FIG. 9(b) shows CARS spectra 51a extracted from these CARS spectra 51 that are determined to belong to a group 55a mainly composed of red blood cell components. These spectra (RBC-like spectra) 51a mainly reflecting red blood cell components appear periodically in a number of CARS spectra 51 acquired in time series (over time) in the data 52. Therefore, the RBC-like spectrum 51a may be selected from the CARS spectra 51 included in the data 52 by time (timing, time interval), or a spectrum that can be determined to be similar to the RBC spectrum 53a may be selected. Similarly, a CARS spectrum (plasma-like spectrum) 51b determined to belong to a group 55b mainly composed of plasma components can be selected (extracted) from a number of CARS spectra 51 included in the data 2. The plasma-like spectrum 51b may be selected from the CARS spectra 51 included in the data 52 based on time (timing, time interval), or a spectrum that can be determined to be similar to the plasma spectrum 53b may be selected.

[0040] In the CARS spectrum 51 shown in FIG. 9(a), in addition to the variation due to the difference in the principal components, the variation due to the glucose concentration is observed. For example, according to the preliminary analysis by the inventors, it was found that the glucose concentration is strongly reflected in the value around the wavelength of 928 nm (Pg1), and the value around the wavelength of 926-927 nm (Pg0) is not easily affected by the glucose concentration. Therefore, by comparing the spectrum 51a classified as RBC-like and the spectrum 51b classified as Plasma-like with the standard RBC spectrum 53a and Plasma spectrum 53b, respectively, it is possible to analyze the relationship that indicates the glucose concentration individually and more accurately by targeting the peaks of the different principal components. As described above, one suitable method is to adopt the learning model AI21 that has previously learned the change in the glucose concentration based on the respective spectra 53a and 53b.

[0041] An example of a simple method of determining the glucose concentration is to compare the spectrum 51a classified as RBC-like with the standard RBC spectrum 53a, rescale (enlarge and / or reduce) the spectrum 51a so that the intensities at wavelengths 920-930 nm are the same, and obtain in advance the correlation between the intensity between a predetermined peak and the glucose concentration. For example, in the RBC-like spectrum 51a, the inventors' analysis showed that the difference (I1-I0) between the intensity I1 at wavelength 928 nm and the intensity I0 at wavelength 926.2 nm is highly correlated with the glucose concentration, and it was found that the glucose concentration in the blood, particularly the glucose concentration that moves with red blood cells, can be determined with high accuracy. In the plasma-like spectrum 51b, the difference (I3-I2) between the intensity I3 at wavelength 928.5 nm and the average value I2 of the intensity at wavelengths 926-927 nm is highly correlated with the glucose concentration, and it was found that the glucose concentration in the blood, particularly the glucose concentration that moves with plasma (plasma blood glucose concentration), can be determined with high accuracy.

[0042] 10 shows the correlation between the intensity difference of the glucose-related peak included in the RBC-like spectrum 51a selected in FIG. 9(b), in this example the difference (I1-I0) and the glucose concentration obtained by a glucose meter (Glucometer (SMBG) Nipro Freestyle Freedom Lite). Therefore, by using the analysis device 20 to select the standard RBC spectrum 53a for the RBC-like spectrum (spectrum to be analyzed, first spectrum) 51a included in the RBC-like group 55a from a plurality of CARS spectra 51 obtained from the blood 5t flowing through the blood vessel 5a, and by using the RBC spectrum 53a as the analysis reference spectrum (second spectrum) to obtain the target glucose concentration in the blood, it is possible to determine (estimate) the glucose concentration in the blood, particularly the glucose concentration flowing together with the red blood cells (in the red blood cells), with extremely high accuracy.

[0043] 11 shows the result of determining the target glucose concentration in blood by selecting a standard plasma spectrum 53b for a plasma-like spectrum (spectrum to be analyzed, first spectrum) 51b included in a group 55b of CARS spectra (plasma-like spectrum, plasma-like spectrum) mainly composed of plasma components from among the CARS spectra 51 included in the data 52, and using the plasma spectrum 53b as an analysis reference spectrum (second spectrum). Specifically, the correlation between the intensity difference of the glucose-related peak included in the plasma-like spectrum 51b, the above-mentioned difference (I3-I2) in this example, and the glucose concentration obtained by the glucose meter is shown.

[0044] As can be seen from this figure, the glucose concentration (intensity) obtained by referring to the standard or average plasma spectrum 53b from the plasma-like spectrum 51b obtained by time-resolving (fractionating) the CARS spectrum 51 obtained from the blood 5t shows a high correlation with the glucose concentration obtained by the glucose meter. Therefore, the target glucose concentration in blood can be measured with extremely high accuracy. Furthermore, the glucose concentration (in the plasma) flowing together with the plasma in the blood vessels can be determined (estimated). Blood glucose level monitors for diabetes refer to the plasma glucose concentration, and some glucose meters are designed to indicate the plasma glucose concentration by hematocrit correction. In contrast, in the system 30 of this example, it is possible to directly derive the plasma glucose concentration from the plasma-like CARS spectrum 51b.

[0045] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a method for determining the concentration of a target, for example, glucose, from blood flowing through a blood vessel in the system 30 of this embodiment. In step 71, the blood glucose monitor 33 acquires data 52 including a plurality of CARS spectra 51 in time series from blood 5t flowing through a blood vessel 5a via the input interface 32. The data 52 may be data acquired on-site or in real time from the detection device 31, or may be data measured in the past and stored in advance in the cloud or the like. In step 72, when the input interface 32 or the analysis device 20 determines that the CARS spectrum 51 measured over a certain period of time has been acquired or that coherent data 52 has been acquired, the analysis of the CARS spectrum 51 included in the data 52 is started.

[0046] The analysis device 20 analyzes the spectrum 51 of the analysis target included in the acquired data 52 based on an analysis reference spectrum having high similarity to the spectrum of the analysis target among a plurality of reference spectra mainly reflecting any one of a plurality of main components of the body fluid, and determines the concentration of the target (glucose) component in the body fluid (blood). First, in step 73, the first analysis unit 21 determines the analysis reference spectrum based on a group of highly similar spectra that repeatedly appear in the plurality of spectra 51 included in the acquired data 52. Specifically, the CARS spectra 51 included in the data 52 are classified into a group 55a of RBC-like spectra whose main component is red blood cells and a group 55b of Plasma-like spectra whose main component is plasma, and the RBC spectrum 53a or Plasma spectrum 53b is determined as the analysis reference spectrum to be referred to during analysis.

[0047] At this time, the reference spectrum generating device 22 may automatically generate an analytical reference spectrum including spectral components common to the group of similar spectra. Specifically, when generation of a reference spectrum is specified in step 74, the reference spectrum generating device 22 may generate an RBC spectrum 53a and a Plasma spectrum 53b by extracting average components from each of the group of RBC-like spectra 55a and the group of Plasma-like spectra 55b, which are grouped CARS spectra, in step 75. At this time, a reference spectrum reflecting the characteristics of a user may be generated from the standard RBC spectrum and the Plasma spectrum based on information on the group of RBC-like spectra 55a and the group of Plasma-like spectra 55b obtained from the blood of an individual (user).

[0048] In step 76, for the spectrum (RBC-like spectrum) 51a classified as RBC-like, the first analysis unit 21 performs a process of determining the glucose concentration using the RBC spectrum 53a as the analysis reference spectrum in step 77. In this process, the glucose concentration may be calculated using a preset function, or the learning model 21a that has been machine-learned to calculate the glucose concentration may calculate the glucose concentration. In step 78, for the speck (plasma-like spectrum) 51b classified as plasma-like in step 76, the first analysis unit 21 performs a process of determining the glucose concentration using the plasma spectrum 53b as the analysis reference spectrum. In this process, the glucose concentration may be calculated using a preset function for a spectrum having a plasma component as the main component, or the learning model 21a that has been machine-learned to calculate the glucose concentration based on a reference spectrum having a plasma component as the main component may calculate the glucose concentration.

[0049] If it is determined in step 79 that the calculated glucose concentration is higher than a specified value and administration of insulin is necessary, the medication system 38 administers the medication in step 80. Furthermore, in step 81, the blood glucose monitor 33 can output (display) the glucose concentration in the blood via the output interface 35, or record it on an appropriate medium or a cloud server. In step 81, it is also possible to output the blood glucose level in the plasma (plasma blood glucose level) based on the analysis result of the plasma-like spectrum 51b. In addition, in step 81, it is also possible to output the concentration of the glucose component contained in other components in the blood, such as red blood cells.

[0050] As described above, using blood as an example of a body fluid, the spectrum obtained in a time series by irradiating blood (body fluid) flowing through a blood vessel with a laser beam contains repeated (cyclic) spectra reflecting the main components of the blood, and it is possible to obtain a spectrum in which the main components are classified (fractionated) over time. In particular, since the capillaries under the skin that are the subject of non-invasive measurement have a small diameter and are thin, it is easy to obtain a cyclic spectrum in which the components are fractionated. By analyzing the spectrum with reference to the spectrum that mainly reflects the main components of the blood, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the main components or to refer to the peaks of the main components and obtain with high accuracy the concentration of trace components that are likely to vary depending on the conditions of the living body, such as glucose.

[0051] It has been studied to obtain the glucose concentration in blood from the Raman spectrum obtained by irradiating blood with laser light, but when all the Raman spectra obtained from blood are averaged, the information of the main components that have a large influence on the peak of the spectrum, such as information on plasma components and information on red blood cells, is averaged. In such an averaged spectrum, the large components that fluctuate over time are averaged, and the information becomes a large noise, making it difficult to detect trace components such as glucose that are the target of testing or measurement.

[0052] In contrast, in the present invention, attention is paid to the fact that the CARS spectrum obtained from blood flowing through blood vessels periodically and repeatedly contains a plasma-like CARS spectrum and an RBC-like CARS spectrum, and by analyzing them separately, it is possible to prevent information on the main components from becoming noise, and it is possible to measure (analyze) target trace components such as glucose with high accuracy. That is, in this measurement method, attention is paid to the fact that blood vessels, particularly capillaries, are obstacles to the flow of the main components of blood such as red blood cells, and one of the features is that blood vessels are used as elements for fractionating the main components of blood, and information (spectrum) obtained by fractionating (time-resolved) blood whose components are not uniform is obtained.

[0053] In addition, in the present invention, it is possible to directly obtain the concentration of a target component of the plasma-like composition of blood, for example, the plasma glucose level. Furthermore, it is also possible to obtain the hematocrit value from the frequency of appearance of the plasma-like CARS spectrum 51b and the RBC-like CARS spectrum 51a.

[0054] Such processing may be performed using a learning model (AI(1)) 21a that is trained to select a plasma-like or RBC-like reference spectrum from multiple CARS spectra and derive the concentration of the target substance from information reflecting the target substance components, such as glucose, contained in the plasma-like or RBC-like spectrum.

[0055] Reference spectra reflecting the main components in the body fluid that serve as the basis for analysis, for example, an RBC spectrum 53a and a Plasma spectrum 53b, may be given in advance, but in order to further reflect the characteristics of an individual, the system 30 may be provided with a module (AI(2)) 22a that acquires, by self-learning, a plurality of reference spectra, for example, a Plasma spectrum 53b indicating a plasma component and an RBC spectrum 53a indicating a blood cell component, from a plurality of groups 55a and 55b of spectra having high similarity (correlation) between some spectral components among a plurality of CARS spectra 51 obtained in time series.

[0056] In the above, blood flowing through blood vessels is described as a typical example of a body fluid, but components contained in other body fluids such as lymph flowing through lymphatic vessels can be measured in the same manner. The main components are not limited to plasma components and red blood cells, but may include other blood cell components, for example, white blood cells and / or platelets. The target component for measuring the concentration is not limited to glucose, but may include at least one of hemoglobin A1c, creatinine, and albumin, and may include any component that is the subject of testing of body fluids such as blood. One of the suitable methods for acquiring a spectrum reflecting the components contained in the body fluid is to use Raman scattering to acquire a scattering spectrum, which is not limited to CARS, and may be a spectrum acquired using other known methods such as stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). A method for acquiring an absorption spectrum such as an IR absorption spectrum may also be adopted.

[0057] In the above, a method for detecting a component of a body fluid is disclosed, which includes obtaining a plurality of first spectra that are intermittently obtained by irradiating a flowing body fluid with a laser light, the plurality of first spectra reflecting the plurality of components of the body fluid, and analyzing the plurality of first spectra based on one of a plurality of second spectra that mainly reflect one of a plurality of main components of the body fluid, to obtain a concentration of a target component contained in the body fluid. This method may further include obtaining the plurality of second spectra from a group of a plurality of spectra having a high correlation of some spectral components among the plurality of first spectra obtained in a time series. This method may further include obtaining the plurality of second spectra from a group of a plurality of spectra having a high correlation of some spectral components that appear periodically among the plurality of first spectra obtained in a time series. This method may further include self-learning the plurality of second spectra from a group of a plurality of spectra having a high correlation of some spectral components among the plurality of first spectra obtained in a time series. A typical example of the plurality of first spectra is a Raman spectrum.

[0058] The above also discloses a system having a learning model that has learned to analyze a spectrum reflecting a component of a body fluid obtained by irradiating a laser beam onto the body fluid based on one of a plurality of second spectra that mainly reflect one of a plurality of main components of the body fluid, and obtain a concentration of a target component contained in the body fluid, and an analysis device that obtains the concentration of the target component contained in the body fluid by the learning model from a plurality of first spectra intermittently obtained by irradiating a laser beam onto the body fluid in a flowing state. This system may further include a device that self-learns the plurality of second spectra from a group of a plurality of spectra having a high correlation between some spectral components among the plurality of first spectra obtained in a time series. The plurality of first spectra may include a Raman spectrum.

[0059] Furthermore, while particular embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various other embodiments and modifications may be conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention, and such other embodiments and modifications are within the scope of the following claims, which define the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Raman Spectroscopy 20 Analyzer 30 Biometric monitoring system

Claims

1. an apparatus for irradiating at least a portion of a blood vessel with laser light to obtain time-resolvable data of a first spectrum containing blood cell components as a main component, a second spectrum containing a mixture of blood cell components and plasma components as a main component, and a third spectrum containing plasma components as a main component in the blood flowing through the blood vessel; and an analysis device that determines the concentration of a target component in the blood using the first spectrum or the third spectrum as a spectrum to be analyzed.

2. In claim 1, The system, wherein the acquiring device includes a Raman spectroscopy device for acquiring a Raman spectrum.

3. In claim 1, The system, wherein the acquiring device includes a device for compressing the blood vessel to control the flow rate of the blood.

4. 1. A method for detecting a component in blood, comprising: Irradiating at least a portion of a blood vessel with laser light to obtain time-resolvable data of a first spectrum containing blood cell components as a main component, a second spectrum containing a mixture of blood cell components and plasma components as a main component, and a third spectrum containing plasma components as a main component in blood flowing through the blood vessel; and determining a concentration of a target component in the blood using the first spectrum or the third spectrum as a spectrum to be analyzed.

5. In claim 4, The method, wherein said obtaining comprises obtaining a Raman spectrum.

6. In claim 4 or 5, The method, wherein the target components include at least one of glucose, hemoglobin A1c, creatinine, and albumin.

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