Patent ID: 8417324

Claim:
A method for measuring spectral and temporal fluorescence properties of tissue or cells simultaneously, said method comprising: (a) contacting a tissue or cell sample with an excitation light source of a fluorescence lifetime spectrometer, said fluorescence lifetime spectrometer comprising: (i) an excitation light source which is directed to a tissue or cell sample, (ii) an optical fiber probe which delivers light to the tissue or cell sample and collects resulting fluorescent emissions from said tissue or cell sample wherein said excitation light source is directed through the optical fiber probe to the tissue or cell sample; (iii) a means of directing the returning fluorescent emissions from the tissue or cell sample to spectral and temporal detection schemes; (iv) a spectrometer coupled ICCD which detects fluorescent emissions output from the tissue or cell sample and derives therefrom spectral fluorescence properties of the tissue or cell sample; (v) an avalanche photodiode to detect temporal fluorescent emissions output from the tissue or cell sample; and (vi) a means for transiently digitizing a signal from the avalanche photodiode and deriving temporal fluorescence properties of the tissue or cell sample from the signal, said means being connected to the avalanche photodiode; (b) exciting the tissue or cell sample with the excitation light source so that fluorescence is emitted; (c) collecting the fluorescence emitted from the sample; and (d) detecting emitted fluorescence accumulation and fluorescence decays via an avalanche photodiode with simultaneous spectral and temporal resolution so that spectral and temporal fluorescence properties of the tissue or cells can be determined.