Microdrop Dye Dispenser for Surgical Lasers

This grant concerns the development of a superior laser surgical tool. We have found that laserablation is enhanced when tissue are pretreated with microdrops of dye, nominally 50um in diameter.The use of dye to couple the laser energy to the tissue has two advantages: (i) energy absorption isgoverned by the optical characteristics of the dye (not the tissue), thus the new-generation of cheap,compact diode laser can be harnessed to surgical task; (ii)because surgeons can "paint" the tissue withbrief burst of dye prior to each laser shot, they gain a new dimension of interactive control over theirlaser's impact on tissue. Our instrument combines a miniature, solid-state fluid microdispenser, basedon ink jet printing technology, and a laser fiber in a slim, endoscopic instrument. In Phase I of theresearch we will (i) evaluate various dyes, including lipophilic, "sticky" dyes for surgical use, (ii) explorehow the fundamentals of laser-tissue interaction (thermal diffusion, photoacoustic effects) are modifiedb use of dyes and (iii) assess the clinical efficacy (ablation efficiency vrs tissue damage) of selectedlaser-dye combinations. In Phase II we anticipate assembly of prototype instruments and pre-clinical,in vivo testing.