Development of a portable Raman spectrometer for medical diagnostics

This paper describes a self-contained, portable Raman instrument that has been developed for biomedical analyses. The instrument consists of a 785-nm diode laser for excitation, an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) for wavelength discrimination, and an avalanche photodiode for detection. The primary component of this system is the AOTF and it has been selected based on its spectral range along with its high resolution, approximately 7.5 cm-1. Software has been developed in-house in the programming language of C for controlling the instrument (i.e., the AOTF frequency, the signal acquisition, etc.). Evaluation of this instrument has been performed by analyzing several standard samples and comparing their spectra to spectra acquired using a conventional laboratory system. In addition to system evaluation, this paper will also discuss potential applications of this instrument to multiplexed genechip types of analyses.

[1]  J Arends,et al.  Detection and quantification of calcium fluoride using micro-Raman spectroscopy. , 1993, Caries research.

[2]  J. Romier,et al.  Imaging spectrometer based on an acousto-optic tunable filter , 1998 .

[3]  V V Tuchin,et al.  [Water exchange in human crystalline lens studied by combined dispersion confocal microspectroscopy]. , 1998, Biofizika.

[4]  J. Arends,et al.  Orientational Micro-Raman Spectroscopy on Hydroxyapatite Single Crystals and Human Enamel Crystallites , 1994, Journal of dental research.

[5]  C D Tran,et al.  Spectrofluorometer based on acousto-optic tunable filters for rapid scanning and multicomponent sample analyses. , 1993, Analytical chemistry.

[6]  Tuan Vo-Dinh,et al.  Evaluation of a chemical vapor dosimeter using polymer-coated SERS substrates ☆ , 1999 .

[7]  J. Greve,et al.  Studying single living cells and chromosomes by confocal Raman microspectroscopy , 1990, Nature.

[8]  T. Vo‐Dinh,et al.  Surface-enhanced Raman spectrometry of organophosphorus chemical agents. , 1987, Analytical chemistry.

[9]  H. Bruining,et al.  In vivo confocal Raman microspectroscopy of the skin: noninvasive determination of molecular concentration profiles. , 2001, The Journal of investigative dermatology.

[10]  R. Rava,et al.  Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectra of insulin and alpha-lactalbumin with 218- and 200-nm laser excitation. , 1985, Biochemistry.

[11]  John A. Kusters,et al.  Optimum crystal orientation for acoustically tuned optical filters , 1974 .

[12]  Tuan Vo-Dinh,et al.  Development of an integrated single-fiber SERS sensor , 2000 .

[13]  J Arends,et al.  Combined Raman and SEM study on CaF2 formed on/in enamel by APF treatments. , 1993, Caries research.

[14]  I. Chang.  Noncollinear acoustooptic filters , 1973 .

[15]  Pio González,et al.  Raman spectroscopic analysis of sub- and supragingival calculus. , 1997 .

[16]  Patrick J. Treado,et al.  A Miniaturized, No-Moving-Parts Raman Spectrometer , 1993 .

[17]  I. C. Chang,et al.  Tunable acousto‐optic filter utilizing acoustic beam walkoff in crystal quartz , 1974 .

[18]  T. Vo‐Dinh,et al.  Surface-enhanced Raman gene probes. , 1994, Analytical chemistry.

[19]  Tuan Vo-Dinh,et al.  SERS chemical sensors and biosensors: new tools for environmental and biological analysis☆ , 1995 .

[20]  H. Edwards,et al.  FT-Raman spectroscopic study of keratotic materials: horn, hoof and tortoiseshell. , 1998, Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy.

[21]  Chieu D. Tran,et al.  Electronic Tuning, Amplitude Modulation of Lasers by a Computer-Controlled Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter , 1992 .

[22]  N Gupta,et al.  A compact collinear AOTF Raman spectrometer. , 1997, Talanta.

[23]  H. Bruining,et al.  In vitro and in vivo Raman spectroscopy of human skin. , 1998, Biospectroscopy.

[24]  J Arends,et al.  Raman Spectra of Human Dental Calculus , 1993, Journal of dental research.

[25]  R. Richards-Kortum,et al.  Near-Infrared Raman Spectroscopy for in vivo Detection of Cervical Precancers , 2001, Photochemistry and photobiology.

[26]  Anthony T. Tu,et al.  Raman spectroscopy in biology: Principles and applications , 1982 .

[27]  A. Mahadevan-Jansen,et al.  Near‐Infrared Raman Spectroscopy for In Vitro Detection of Cervical Precancers , 1998 .

[28]  Tuan Vo-Dinh,et al.  Surface‐Enhanced Raman Detection of Nerve Agent Simulant (DMMP and DIMP) Vapor on Electrochemically Prepared Silver Oxide Substrates , 1996 .

[29]  C D Tran,et al.  Acousto-optic tunable filter as a polychromator and its application in multidimensional fluorescence spectrometry. , 1992, Analytical chemistry.

[30]  Gerwin J. Puppels,et al.  In vivo Raman spectroscopy during laparoscopy , 1999 .

[31]  Thomas G. Spiro,et al.  Selective enhancement of tyrosine and tryptophan resonance Raman spectra via ultraviolet laser excitation , 1984 .

[32]  N. Ramanujam,et al.  Development of a Fiber Optic Probe to Measure NIR Raman Spectra of Cervical Tissue In Vivo , 1998, Photochemistry and photobiology.

[33]  F F de Mul,et al.  Raman microspectroscopic approach to the study of human granulocytes. , 1991, Biophysical journal.

[34]  E.V. Trujillo,et al.  Performance estimation of diagnostic tests for cervical precancer based on fluorescence spectroscopy: effects of tissue type, sample size, population, and signal-to-noise ratio , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[35]  Tuan Vo-Dinh,et al.  Development of a compact, handheld Raman instrument with no moving parts for use in field analysis , 2000 .