Light has healing properties, and a new fiber-optics
technology developed by scientists at the University of St. Andrews
promises to deliver those properties to damaged tissue.
The technology is called photo-chemical tissue bonding. Until
now, it's been used only to treat superficial wounds. Researchers have
developed a technique that allows the light to penetrate deeper into
human tissue.
Scientists developed biodegradable optical fibers capable of carrying
light beneath the surface of a wound, delivering the light's healing
powers to a local point internally.
Fiber-optic strands for catheters are normally made of glass or
plastic. Removing them from a healed wound can cause damage to the new
tissue. Because the newly developed fibers can be naturally absorbed
into tissue, the risks of removal are eliminated.
The fiber-optic technology could improve a light-based cancer
treatment technique known as photodynamic therapy. It could also be used
in medical imaging.
"A variety of optical techniques, such as photochemical tissue
bonding and photodynamic therapy, require efficient delivery of light
deep into tissues, but the current limited penetration of light in
tissue constitutes a serious constraint in clinical use."
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