講演情報
[8p-PA2-9]Label-free Detection of Myocardial Infarction Proportion Using a Scanning Point Terahertz Source Microscope
〇(M2)AO N SHEN1, Shin Ishikane2, Masaki Arioka2, Fumi Takahashi2, Takahiro Teramoto3, Kazunori Serita1,3 (1.Waseda University, 2.University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 3.The Universit of Kitakyushu)
キーワード：
THz System、THz Application、THz generation and detection
Pathological diagnosis of myocardial infarction relies primarily on histological evaluation of stained tissue sections. Although conventional staining methods provide detailed morphological information, they require multiple preparation steps, specialized reagents, and significant processing time. Therefore, the development of rapid and label-free techniques for tissue evaluation is highly desirable. Terahertz (THz, 0.1 – 10 THz) waves are sensitive to hydration and dielectric properties of tissue samples, making them attractive for biomedical imaging, including label-free pathology applications [2]. However, the relatively long wavelength of THz waves has traditionally limited its spatial resolution (1 THz ≈ 300 μm), restricting evaluation of micrometer-scale lesions. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a scanning point THz source microscope [3], which generates a localized THz source with a diameter of approximately 20 μm in the vicinity of the tissue sample through optical rectification in a nonlinear optical crystal. As illustrated in Fig. 1, transmitted or reflected THz waves can be detected using photoconductive antenna detectors by typical THz time-domain spectroscopy method, enabling high-resolution THz imaging beyond the diffraction limit of conventional THz systems.
Figure 2(a) shows a reflected THz image of a 100-µm-thick paraffin-embedded mouse myocardial tissue section. The THz image clearly distinguishes infarcted myocardium from surrounding normal tissue without any staining procedure. The distribution of THz contrast shows good agreement with the corresponding MT stained image, indicating that THz signals reflect pathological changes associated with myocardial infarction. In addition, finer anatomical structures, including a small branch of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), were observed in the THz image. These results demonstrate the potential of the SPoTS microscope for high-resolution tissue characterization.
Figure 2(a) shows a reflected THz image of a 100-µm-thick paraffin-embedded mouse myocardial tissue section. The THz image clearly distinguishes infarcted myocardium from surrounding normal tissue without any staining procedure. The distribution of THz contrast shows good agreement with the corresponding MT stained image, indicating that THz signals reflect pathological changes associated with myocardial infarction. In addition, finer anatomical structures, including a small branch of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), were observed in the THz image. These results demonstrate the potential of the SPoTS microscope for high-resolution tissue characterization.