Advances in ultrafast time resolved fluorescence physics for cancer detection in optical biopsy

We discuss the use of time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to extract fundamental kinetic information on molecular species in tissues. The temporal profiles reveal the lifetime and amplitudes associated with key active molecules distinguishing the local spectral environment of tissues. The femtosecond laser pulses at 310 nm excite the tissue. The emission profile at 340 nm from tryptophan is non-exponential due to the micro-environment. The slow and fast amplitudes and lifetimes of emission profiles reveal that cancer and normal states can be distinguished. Time resolved optical methods offer a new cancer diagnostic modality for the medical community. Copyright 2012 Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3697961]