10 biophotonics
analysis. This detects proteins that leak from the
heart during an attack. Unfortunately, current
enzyme tests take around six hours to detect
elevated levels, and a further six to show a
definitive result.
A team from Massachusetts General Hospital,
MIT and Harvard University, has developed a
new test based on laser mass spectroscopy that
can return a conclusive result just minutes after
the beginning of a heart attack. The researchers
coupled a robotic sampler to an Applied
Biosystems triple quadrupole mass spectrometer,
equipped with a 200Hz Nd:YAG laser. The
system is able to analyse hundreds of metabolites
in minutes. It is also able to identify accurately a
range of metabolic changes that happen right at
the beginning of an attack.
Eradicating heart attacks
With coronary artery disease, prevention is better
than cure. If diagnosed in time, coronary artery
Non-invasive
disease can be halted in its tracks, and the danger
of heart attacks averted.
In diagnosing coronary artery disease, ECG
monitoring suffers many drawbacks; interpreting
its waveform output is difficult. Patients often
innovation
have to undergo lengthy stress echo testing. Even
then, mistakes can be made.
These days, clinicians prefer alternate diagnostic
tests. Analysing the myocardial fibres of the heart is
the preferred approach. Understanding the three-
William Payne on the emerging area of biophotonics, which
dimensional structure of the fibres tells clinicians
how far coronary artery disease has progressed,
sees lasers applied to many aspects of biology
and the likelihood of future heart attacks.
The two main tools used today for myocardial
Biophotonics is one of the fastest growing Beating heart disease fibre imaging are diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
applications for laser instrumentation and It’s the world’s single biggest killer. Half of all men, and histological sectioning. DTI is non-invasive.
measurement. According to life science market and a third of women will develop it. Coronary However, only the most advanced – and expensive
research firm Kalorama Information, the artery disease can be difficult to diagnose, but – MRI scanners can achieve a sufficient resolution
biophotonics market is growing at an annual conventional tests either take too long, or can (<100µm) to provide clinically useful imaging.
rate of 31 per cent, and will be worth $133bn be misleading. Now, researchers are developing Histological sectioning provides better resolution.
by 2016. new tests based on biophotonics that can provide However, this approach is clinically invasive,
om
The main thrust of biophotonic applications clear, accurate answers in just minutes. time-consuming and far more complex.
is the rapid, non-invasive identification of When a heart attack strikes, doctors have Doctors at SUNY Upstate Medical University
ooptics.c
protein and genome structures. Biophotonic about 60 minutes to save a person’s life. This is in Syracuse, New York, working with physicists
ectr
applications in mass spectroscopy, cytometry the ‘golden hour’. But the symptoms of a heart at Kaunas University in Lithuania, have developed
.el
and microscopy are beginning to show major attack are often confusing. They can be the classic an alternative approach based on biophotonic
www
advantages over conventional techniques in chest pain. But just as often, patients having a technology, using a technique known as ‘optical

accuracy, speed and cost. heart attack complain initially of a pain in the clearing’.
This flexibility and range of function is turning arm, or even toothache. With such confusing Optical clearing makes specimens transparent
ch 2009
biophotonics into a disruptive technology that is symptoms, doctors are often left not knowing if by matching the intra and extracellular refractive
fast becoming the basis for standard measuring the patient should be on the operating table, or indices. By adding a fluorescent dye, which
applications in pharmaceutical discovery and sent home with a Rennie tablet. binds to cell membranes, and optically clearing
f
ebruary/mar
development, life sciences research, especially Clinicians need an immediate way of telling the heart, the researchers have been able to

in proteomics and genomics, medicine – whether someone is suffering a heart attack. construct 3D renderings of the myocardial fibre
particularly histology, cytology, oncology ECG monitoring is quick. But its output can be organisation in mammal hearts.
o
optics
and virology – food sciences, agriculture and confusing and mistakes are easily made. The The team carried out confocal imaging, using a
ectr
el
aquaculture. definitive diagnostic test is a blood chemistry Zeiss LSM 510 system with a Zeiss Axiovert 200M
EOfeb09 pp10-13 Biophotonics.indd 10 17/2/09 16:43:40
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