Tissue-like phantoms with optical properties of biological tissues

In order to develop novel light-based therapy and diagnosis, scientific evidence is required to prove their safety and efficacy. Although light distributions within human tissues have been measured in vivo, such experimental data vary owing to the inhomogeneity of biological tissues and the individual differences among subjects. These make quantitative and reproducible evaluation difficult. Thus, we are developing tissue-mimicking phantoms that have similar optical properties to real biological objects by adjusting the concentration of absorbers and scatters. The figure below shows the fabrication of a tissue phantom with optical properties of malignant brain tumor for evaluating light distribution in interstitial photodynamic therapy (iPDT). Since the clinical data of iPDT for light distribution within brain tissue is limited, experiments using phantoms are essential to accumulate data supporting the safety and efficacy. Moreover, proper phantoms can be used to evaluate the accuracy and consistency of instruments developed by different device manufacturers over time.

Atsushi Inoue, Katsunori Ishii, Nobuhisa Ito, Norihiro Honda, Takaya Terada, Kunio Awazu: "Development of the Phantom of Human Herniated Nucleus Pulposus Based on the Optical Properties with a Wavelength Range of 350-1000 nm," Journal of Japan Society for Laser Surgery and Medicine 32(4):375-381 (2012). [in Japanese]