Optical Skin Depth Profiling for Precise Cancer Boundary Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Mohs surgery for skin cancer often requires multiple invasive procedures due to uncertainty in cancer boundary detection, leading to unnecessary removal of healthy tissue and inefficiency.

Innovation Solution

A non-invasive method using an optical probe to transmit pulses of light, generate intrinsic tissue signals, and process them to create a depth profile for precise disease identification without tissue removal, employing technologies like second harmonic generation and autofluorescence microscopy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If Mohs surgery is performed with traditional histological analysis, then cancer can be removed with high cure rate, but multiple surgeries are required and healthy tissue is unnecessarily removed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecure rateVSAvoidnumber of surgeries

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing optical imaging and depth profile analysis before surgery to identify cancer boundaries in advance. This allows the surgeon to know the exact extent of cancer infiltration beforehand, enabling precise surgical planning and avoiding multiple surgeries by ensuring complete removal in a single procedure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the traditional mechanical histological analysis system (tissue removal, sectioning, staining, microscopic examination) with an optical imaging system that uses light pulses to generate depth profiles and identify cancer boundaries non-invasively, eliminating the need for multiple surgical procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If Mohs surgery is performed with traditional histological analysis, then cancer can be detected, but the process is inefficient and costly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecancer detection accuracyVSAvoidsurgical efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The optical imaging system performs cancer detection and boundary mapping before surgery, allowing the surgeon to proceed directly to excision without intraoperative histological processing. This preliminary detection eliminates time-consuming tissue preparation steps and improves surgical efficiency while maintaining detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes the inefficient mechanical histological processing system with a rapid optical imaging system that provides immediate depth profile analysis, significantly reducing the time from tissue sampling to cancer detection while maintaining high accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If traditional histological preparation is used, then tissue can be analyzed microscopically, but the process takes approximately one hour

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue analysis precisionVSAvoidanalysis time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the time-consuming mechanical histological preparation and microscopic analysis system with an optical imaging system that uses light pulse transmission and depth profile generation to achieve comparable or superior tissue analysis precision in a fraction of the time, eliminating the one-hour waiting period.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Ease of operation

If surgeons draw boundaries around visible lesions, then surgery can be performed, but cancer boundaries are not determined with certainty

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical procedure simplicityVSAvoidcancer boundary detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the subjective visual boundary drawing method with an objective optical imaging system that generates depth profiles to precisely map cancer boundaries based on tissue optical properties, providing certain and accurate boundary determination while maintaining ease of surgical execution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables rapid, precise detection of skin cancer boundaries in real-time, reducing the need for multiple surgeries and minimizing tissue removal, thus improving patient comfort and surgical efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

employing technologies like second harmonic generation and autofluorescence microscopy

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSecond harmonic generation: Second Harmonic Generation

Implementation Method 2

employing technologies like second harmonic generation and autofluorescence microscopy

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAutofluorescence: Fluorescence

Data Source

PatentUS12514453B2Non-invasive detection of skin disease

Publication Date: 2026.01.06 ENSPECTRA HEALTH INC

AI summary

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides methods for identifying a disease in an epithelial tissue of a subject. Methods for identifying a disease in an epithelial tissue comprise the generation of a depth profile of the epithelial tissue using signals generated from the tissue by pulses of light directed towards a surface of the epithelial tissue. In some aspects, the present disclosure provides apparatuses consistent with the methods herein.