Measurement of tissue structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016290926-A1
Application number	US-201414778546-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2014
Priority date	Mar 21, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure relates to measurement and classification of tissue structures in samples using a combination of light imaging and spectroscopy, in particular although not necessarily exclusively for detection of tumours such as basal cell carcinoma or breast tumours in tissue samples. Embodiments disclosed include a method of automatically identifying tissue structures in a sample, the method comprising the steps of: measuring ( 1702, 1703 ) a response of an area of the sample to illumination with light; identifying ( 1704 ) regions within the area having a measured response within a predetermined range; determining ( 1705 ) locations within the identified regions; performing ( 1706 ) spectroscopic analysis of the sample at the determined locations; and identifying ( 1707 ) a tissue structure for each region from the spectroscopic analysis performed on one or more locations therein.

First claim

1 . A method of automatically identifying tissue structures in a sample, the method comprising the steps of:
measuring a response of an area of the sample to illumination with light; identifying regions within the area having a measured response within a predetermined range; determining locations within the identified regions; performing spectroscopic analysis of the sample at the determined locations; and identifying a tissue structure for each region from the spectroscopic analysis performed on one or more locations therein.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the spectroscopic analysis is performed using vibrational spectroscopy.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the spectroscopic analysis is Raman spectroscopy.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the light the sample is illuminated with is ultraviolet light.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the measured response is a measured value of fluorescence.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the measured fluorescence value is a measure of intensity.

7 . The method of claim 5 wherein the measured fluorescence value is a measure of fluorescence lifetime.

8 . The method of claim 6 wherein the identified regions have a measured fluorescence value greater than or less than a predetermined threshold value.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the regions identified within the area have a minimum predetermined size.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the minimum predetermined size is a region having a linear extent of greater than around 100 μm, 50 μm, 20 μm or 10 μm, or a region having an area of greater than around 0.01 mm 2 , 0.0025 mm 2 , 0.0004 mm 2 or 0.0001 mm 2 .

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein a particular tissue structure is identified for each region based on matching a spectrum from spectroscopic analysis of one or more locations within each region from a database of spectra for different tissue structures.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the different tissue structures include a tumour such as a breast or skin tumour.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the different tissue structures include a basal cell carcinoma.

14 . The method of claim 1 wherein a number of locations are identified within each region dependent on its size.

15 . The method of claim 14 wherein two or more locations are identified within each region.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein one of the identified regions is identified as a particular tissue structure if two or more spectra from spectroscopic analysis taken at locations within the one of the identified regions indicate the same particular tissue structure.

17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the particular tissue structure is a basal cell carcinoma or another type of tumour such as a breast tumour.

18 . The method of claim 15 wherein one of the identified regions is identified as a particular tissue structure if a majority of spectra from spectroscopic analysis at locations within the one of the identified regions indicate the particular tissue structure.

19 . The method of claim 1 wherein the locations identified within each region are at least a predetermined distance away from an outer edge of each region.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein the predetermined distance is 10 μm, 20 μm or 50 μm.

21 . The method of claim 1 wherein each region is identified as dermis, epidermis, basal cell carcinoma or another tissue structure.

22 . An apparatus for automatically identifying tissue structures in a sample, the apparatus comprising:
a sample stage for receiving a sample to be analysed; a first light source for selectively illuminating an area of the sample; a first detector for receiving light from the sample upon illumination by the first light source; a second light source for selectively illuminating a location within the area of the sample; and a spectral analyser for receiving light from the location within the area of the sample upon illumination by the second light source, the apparatus being configured to perform a method according to claim 1 .

23 . A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to cause the computer to:
measure a response of an area of a sample to illumination with light; identify regions within the area having a measured response within a predetermined range; determine locations within the identified regions; perform spectroscopic analysis of the sample at the determined locations; and identify a tissue structure for each region from the spectroscopic analysis performed on one or more locations therein.

Assignees

• Univ Nottingham
• Royal Holloway Univ Of London

Inventors

• Notingher Ioan
• Kong Kenny
• Rowlands Christopher
• Williams Hywel
• Leach Iain
• Varma Sandeep
• Perkins William
• Koloydenko Alexey

Classifications

• G01N2201/06113

  Coherent sources; lasers · CPC title

• G01N2800/7028

  Cancer · CPC title

• G01N2021/6417

  Spectrofluorimetric devices · CPC title

• G01N21/6458

  Fluorescence microscopy (fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16) · CPC title

• G01N21/6408

  with measurement of decay time, time resolved fluorescence · CPC title