The medical industry has used laser sources for a multitude of processes and procedures. Q-Peak has examined diagnostics laser sources for In vivo imaging with OCT, Multi-photon Microscopy, Breath Analysis and Lasers for treatment Femtosecond Cellular Surgery.
Q-Peak developed a Breath Analysis system for detection of different compounds in a human’s breath. “To date, researchers have identified over 1000 different compounds contained in human breath. These molecules have both endogenous and exogenous origins and provide information about physiological processes occurring in the body as well as environment-related ingestion or absorption of contaminants. While the presence and concentration of many of these molecules are poorly understood, many “biomarker” molecules have been correlated to specific diseases and metabolic processes. Such correlations can result in noninvasive methods of health screening for a wide variety of medical conditions.” [1] Cavity-enhanced optical frequency comb spectroscopy: application to human breath analysis M. J. Thorpe, D. Balslev-Clausen, M. S. Kirchner, and Jun Ye 18 February 2008 / Vol. 16, No. 4 / OPTICS EXPRESS 2387.
Examples of markers: Problem for conventional diode spectroscopy (interband diodes, QCLs), finding a needle in a damp haystack
- Acetone (diabetes)
- Nitric oxide (airway inflammation, asthma)
- Hydrogen sulfide (periodontal disease)
- Isoprene (cardiovascular disease)
- Methylamine (liver and renal diseases)
- Ammonia (renal failure)
- Ethane (cancer)