LASER FOR SELECTIVE PHOTOTHERMOATHEROLYSIS

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHS IN THEUNITED STATES, CLAIMING NEARLY TWICE AS MANY LIVES AS CANCER. LASER ANGIOPLASTY HAS IMMENSE APPEAL, BUT A RELIABLE, PREDICTABLE SYSTEM HAS NOT YET BEEN DEVELOPED. RESEARCHERS HAVE CONDUCTED PRELIMINARY STUDIES TO DEMONSTRA-TE PREFERENTIAL ABSORPTION OF DYE LASER ENERGY BY ANTHERO- MATOUS PLAQUES WITH MINIMAL ABSORPTION BY NORMAL ARTERIAL WALL. CANDELA WILL INVESTIGATE THE OPERATING PARAMETERS OF ENERGY, DENSITY, AND PULSEWIDTH TO FURTHER OPTIMIZE THE THE SELECTIVE ABSORPTION PROCESS IN ARTERIAL PLAQUES. SPECIFICALLY, RESEARCHERS WILL CONDUCT IN VITRO STUDIES OF DYE LASER PLAQUE ABLATION IN THE LONG-PULSE, MILLISECOND, AND SHORT-PULSE SUBMICROSECOND REGIMES. STUDIES WILL MAXI- MIZE PLAQUE ABLATION EFFICIENCY FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF COMMONLY OCCURRING PLAQUE TYPES WHILE MINIMIZING IRREVERSI- BLE DAMAGE TO THE UNDERLYING VASCULAR TISSUE. IF SUCCESSFUL, ANIMAL STUDIES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ESTABLISH THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF THE TREATMENT TECHNIQUES IN PHASEII. CANDELA WILL ALSO PURSUE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A CLINICAL SYSTEM IN PHASE II.