Frontiers in Physiology (May 2020)

Optical Biopsy of the Upper GI Tract Using Fluorescence Lifetime and Spectra

  • Zhaojun Nie,
  • Shu-Chi Allison Yeh,
  • Michelle LePalud,
  • Fares Badr,
  • Frances Tse,
  • David Armstrong,
  • Louis W. C. Liu,
  • M. Jamal Deen,
  • M. Jamal Deen,
  • Qiyin Fang,
  • Qiyin Fang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00339
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Screening and surveillance for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers by endoscope guided biopsy is invasive, time consuming, and has the potential for sampling error. Tissue endogenous fluorescence spectra contain biochemical and physiological information, which may enable real-time, objective diagnosis. We first briefly reviewed optical biopsy modalities for GI cancer diagnosis with a focus on fluorescence-based techniques. In an ex vivo pilot clinical study, we measured fluorescence spectra and lifetime on fresh biopsy specimens obtained during routine upper GI screening procedures. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of rapid acquisition of time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) spectra from fresh GI mucosal specimens. We also identified spectroscopic signatures that can differentiate between normal mucosal samples obtained from the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum.

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