Patent ID: 11957622
Assignee: THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A method of inducing cross-linking in a cartilage, the method comprising:
irradiating the cartilage with pulses of focused infrared light, without a photosensitizer present in or on the cartilage,
wherein the pulses of focused infrared light have an average power output from 10 mW to 100 mW, a pulse energy from 0.1 nJ to 10 nJ and a pulse width from 50 to 150 femtoseconds,
wherein the pulses of focused infrared light cause ionization of water molecules without causing optical breakdown of molecules of the cartilage, and
wherein the pulses of focused infrared light excite the water molecules without directly forming covalent bonds in collagen contained in the cartilage.