393
13 Vibrational Spectroscopy: Disease Diagnostics and Beyond
the basis of true changes in biochemistry rather than for example cellular and tissue
morphology, and disease origin and progression can be better understood. gerwin
Puppels, one of the pioneers of the field and founder of River diagnostics likens
the developing technology to that of dr. mcCoy of Star trek, whereby a simple
optical probe can scan a body for all ailments. While it may seem improbable, the
emergence of spectroscopic probes for in vivo analyses and the development of
applications for the analysis of bodily fluids and identification of spectral markers
of disease may mean the realisation of real clinical applications in the near future.
Beyond disease diagnostics, Eu legislation is placing increasing emphasis on in
vitro screening techniques for the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal
experimentation in scientific studies. high Content Analysis techniques for automation and higher throughput of screening based on chemical and immuno assays have
developed significantly over the past decade. however, the assays are highly specific and the process of assaying is extremely expensive. In the realm of in vitro diagnostics and therapeutics, vibrational spectroscopy presents as realistic alternative.
the development of applications of vibrational spectroscopy for biomedical/
chemical applications has relied heavily on the development and application of
multivariate statistical and data mining techniques. A single spot on a cell or tissue
contains a multitude of different biochemical components in itself, and the composition and morphology of this complex melange can vary dramatically over a length
scale which is comparable to the sampled spot size. Cell to cell, tissue to tissue, or
patient to patient variability must also be considered. the challenge of extracting
relevant information is therefore immense, and a myriad of techniques has been
applied and adapted as exemplified in a multitude of techniques. given the impact
of the conclusions derived, particularly in medical diagnostics, it is imperative that
the combination of spectral analysis and data processing yield the “right answer”.
In a real life scenario, however, it is impossible to know for certain what the “right
answer” is however. In this context, complex simulated data sets which incorporate instrumental variabilities and measurement artefacts, but also sample to sample
variabilities may play a critical role in validating and optimising the data analytical
techniques. With a combination of optimised spectroscopic technologies, sample
presentation protocols and data processing and analysis techniques, the future for
vibrational spectroscopy is bright, for disease diagnostics and beyond.
References
1. http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/classroom_activities/herschel_bio.html
2. Rieke gh (2009) history of infrared telescopes and astronomy. Exp Astron 25:125
3. Smith AL (1979) Applied Infrared spectroscopy: fundamentals, techniques, and analytical problemsolving. Wiley, New York
4. mertz L (1965) Astron J 70:548
5. griffiths PR, Curbelo R, Foskett Ct, dunn St (1970) Analytical instrumentation (Inst. Society
of America), 8, II4 (1970)
6. messerchmidt R, harthcock m (eds) (1988) Infrared microscopy, theory and applications.
marcel dekker, New York
13 Vibrational Spectroscopy: Disease Diagnostics and Beyond
the basis of true changes in biochemistry rather than for example cellular and tissue
morphology, and disease origin and progression can be better understood. gerwin
Puppels, one of the pioneers of the field and founder of River diagnostics likens
the developing technology to that of dr. mcCoy of Star trek, whereby a simple
optical probe can scan a body for all ailments. While it may seem improbable, the
emergence of spectroscopic probes for in vivo analyses and the development of
applications for the analysis of bodily fluids and identification of spectral markers
of disease may mean the realisation of real clinical applications in the near future.
Beyond disease diagnostics, Eu legislation is placing increasing emphasis on in
vitro screening techniques for the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal
experimentation in scientific studies. high Content Analysis techniques for automation and higher throughput of screening based on chemical and immuno assays have
developed significantly over the past decade. however, the assays are highly specific and the process of assaying is extremely expensive. In the realm of in vitro diagnostics and therapeutics, vibrational spectroscopy presents as realistic alternative.
the development of applications of vibrational spectroscopy for biomedical/
chemical applications has relied heavily on the development and application of
multivariate statistical and data mining techniques. A single spot on a cell or tissue
contains a multitude of different biochemical components in itself, and the composition and morphology of this complex melange can vary dramatically over a length
scale which is comparable to the sampled spot size. Cell to cell, tissue to tissue, or
patient to patient variability must also be considered. the challenge of extracting
relevant information is therefore immense, and a myriad of techniques has been
applied and adapted as exemplified in a multitude of techniques. given the impact
of the conclusions derived, particularly in medical diagnostics, it is imperative that
the combination of spectral analysis and data processing yield the “right answer”.
In a real life scenario, however, it is impossible to know for certain what the “right
answer” is however. In this context, complex simulated data sets which incorporate instrumental variabilities and measurement artefacts, but also sample to sample
variabilities may play a critical role in validating and optimising the data analytical
techniques. With a combination of optimised spectroscopic technologies, sample
presentation protocols and data processing and analysis techniques, the future for
vibrational spectroscopy is bright, for disease diagnostics and beyond.
References
1. http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/classroom_activities/herschel_bio.html
2. Rieke gh (2009) history of infrared telescopes and astronomy. Exp Astron 25:125
3. Smith AL (1979) Applied Infrared spectroscopy: fundamentals, techniques, and analytical problemsolving. Wiley, New York
4. mertz L (1965) Astron J 70:548
5. griffiths PR, Curbelo R, Foskett Ct, dunn St (1970) Analytical instrumentation (Inst. Society
of America), 8, II4 (1970)
6. messerchmidt R, harthcock m (eds) (1988) Infrared microscopy, theory and applications.
marcel dekker, New York