PhotoSense, Beckman Laser Collaborate on Medical Photonics

BOULDER, Colo., July 6 -- PhotoSense LLC and the Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California - Irvine have signed an agreement to commercialize non-invasive medical photonic technologies. The Beckman Laser Institute has developed and patented technologies for non-invasive measurement of blood, tissue and muscle properties.
The photonic technology, developed by Dr. Bruce Tromberg, associate professor, and Dr. Michael Berns, institute director, measures the properties of low-level laser light passing through tissue and blood. These optical measurements can be correlated to important physiological conditions to enable the detection of cancer (via optical biopsy), analysis of hematology and blood gas, monitoring of hormonal cycles, and evaluation of burn wounds and other tissue damage. Unlike existing optical medical sensors, the Institute's technology, known as Frequency Domain Photon Migration, measures and compensates for tissue's high levels of scattering and absorption.