Biological Tissue LIBS Control for Stable Plasma Emission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LIBS systems struggle with analyzing biological tissues due to their low density, inhomogeneity, and high water content, leading to signal variability and difficulty in distinguishing minor differences, making them unsuitable for applications like cancerous tissue detection and tumor identification.
Innovation Solution
A biological tissue analysis device using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) with a control unit to manage plasma conditions, ensuring emission lines are within a predefined range, and a spectrometer module for real-time analysis, allowing for on-the-fly characterization of tissue by maintaining homogeneous plasma conditions and accurate emission line relationships.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If LIBS is applied to biological tissues, then analysis speed is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to signal variability from low density and inhomogeneity
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback control by monitoring the emission line intensity ratio of a reference element (such as Ca II 422.7 nm to Ca I 393.4 nm) and adjusting the laser pulse energy dynamically. This feedback mechanism compensates for variations in tissue density, water content, and inhomogeneity, maintaining consistent plasma conditions and signal quality across different biological samples while enabling rapid analysis.
2Measurement precision
If laser pulse energy is increased to improve signal intensity, then measurement precision is improved, but plasma temperature control deteriorates due to water content quenching effects
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the laser pulse energy parameter based on real-time feedback from the reference element emission ratio. When tissue water content is high, the system increases laser energy to compensate for quenching effects and maintain adequate signal intensity. When tissue density is low, the system adjusts energy to prevent excessive plasma temperature. This adaptive parameter adjustment maintains both signal quality and plasma temperature stability across diverse biological tissues.
3Measurement precision
If histology preparations are used to improve measurement precision, then analysis accuracy is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to cumbersome procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical and chemical processes of histology preparation (sectioning, staining, mounting) with a laser-based spectroscopic analysis. The LIBS system directly analyzes tissue in its native state by generating plasma and measuring elemental emission spectra, eliminating the need for time-consuming histological processing while maintaining diagnostic accuracy for tissue characterization and cancer detection.
4Measurement precision
If multiple spectra are accumulated to overcome signal variability, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback control system monitors the reference element emission ratio and adjusts laser energy in real-time to maintain consistent plasma conditions shot-to-shot. This reduces signal variability between individual spectra, allowing the system to achieve reliable measurements with fewer accumulated spectra. The adaptive control ensures that each spectrum contributes meaningfully to the final analysis, reducing the total number of shots needed compared to static LIBS systems.
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 identification of tissue types, including cancerous tissue, by analyzing cell contents and providing real-time data for therapeutic applications, reducing the need for cumbersome histology preparations.
Implementation Method 1
a laser generator configured to provide laser beam pulses towards a biological target tissue to generate an analysis plasma
Implementation Method 2
During this time molecules breakdown in their atoms and are electronically excited. In the following, the excited atoms fall down to their ground state and emit their atom characteristic emission light
Implementation Method 3
The spectrometer module is configured to collect, at an acquisition time, emission light of the analysis plasma and to analyze emission lines in the collected emission light
Data Source
AI summary
A biological tissue analysis device to analyze biological tissue by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy comprises a laser generator (1, 2), a spectrometer module (7, 8, 12) and a control unit (5, 6). The laser generator (1, 2) is configured to provide laser beam pulses towards a biological target tissue. The control unit (5, 6) is connected to the laser generator (1, 2) and to the spectrometer module (7, 8, 12). The control unit (5, 6) is configured to operate the laser generator (1, 2) to provide at least one of the laser beam pulses as analysis pulse generating, at a laser pulse time, an analysis plasma comprising a reference element at least in a first excited state and in a second excited state. The spectrometer module (7, 8, 12) is configured to collect, at an acquisition time, emission light of the analysis plasma and to analyze emission lines in the collected emission light. The control unit (5, 6) is configured to keep an emission line relationship between a first emission line of the reference element of the analysis plasma at a first wavelength correlating to the first excited state and a second emission line of the reference element of the analysis plasma at a second wavelength correlating to the second excited state in a predefined reference emission line range.