Patent ID: 7713294

Claim:
A therapeutic system for effecting photodamage in a biological contaminant in an illuminated target region of a subject, the system comprising: an optical radiation generation device configured and arranged to generate near infrared optical radiation (i) substantially in a first wavelength range from 865 nm to 875 nm and a second wavelength range having a wavelength from 925 nm to 935 nm, and (ii) at a dosimetry including power density of about 0.5 W/cm 2 to about 5 W/cm 2 and an energy density from about 200 J/cm 2 to about 700 J/cm 2 at the illuminated target region, and a time duration of about 50 to about 720 seconds, wherein the dosimetry is sufficient to produce photodamage in the biological contaminant; a delivery assembly for causing the optical radiation to be transmitted to illuminate the target region of the subject, wherein substantially all of the near infrared optical radiation transmitted from the optical radiation generation device to the target region by the delivery assembly is in the first wavelength range or the second wavelength range, and wherein the near infrared optical radiation has a spot size at the target region of at least 1.0 cm; and a controller operatively connected to the optical radiation generation device for controlling dosage of the near infrared optical radiation transmitted to the target region of the subject at the dosimetry sufficient to produce photodamage in the biological contaminant.