Abstract: A method for analyzing biological specimens by spectral imaging to provide a medical diagnosis includes obtaining spectral and visual images of biological specimens and registering the images to detect cell abnormalities, pre-cancerous cells, and cancerous cells. This method eliminates the bias and unreliability of diagnoses that is inherent in standard histopathological and other spectral methods. In addition, a method for correcting confounding spectral contributions that are frequently observed in microscopically acquired infrared spectra of cells and tissue includes performing a phase correction on the spectral data. This phase correction method may be used to correct various types of absorption spectra that are contaminated by reflective components.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for imaging tissue and other samples or samples using infrared (IR) transmissions from coherent transmission sources, such as a wide range, tunable, quantum cascade laser (QCL) designed for the rapid collection of infrared microscopic data for medical diagnostics across a wide range of discrete spectral increments. The infrared transmissions are transmitted through, reflected from, and/or transreflected through a sample, and then magnified and/or focused prior to being detected by a detector. After detection, the sample related image data is used to assess the sample. Such methods, devices, and systems may be used to detect abnormalities in tissue, for example, before such abnormalities can be diagnosed using art cytopathological methods. The methods, devices and systems may also optionally include a visible light detection subsystem and/or a motion control subsystem to assist in control and processing of imaging.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provides improved methods for determining the presence of abnormalities in exfoliated cells. In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides methods for reconstructing cellular spectrum of a cell sample by creating a spectral map of the cellular sample, generating a binary mask of the spectral map, removing edge artifacts from each cell, and co-adding spectral data of each pixel corresponding to the cell to reconstruct the spectrum of each cell.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for measuring the infrared vibrational spectral characteristics of each of a large number of biological entities such as cells, and from the measurements statistically determining the presence of anomalies such as cancer.

Abstract: A system and method is described for permitting the simultaneous automated collection of data with regard to the presence of diseased cells, in particular neo-plastic, dysplastic or cancerous cells, or normal cells at a given site in a section of tissue. This is accomplished according to the following steps. First, IR spectral data are collected simultaneously for each cell or pixel of the tissue. Next, these data are analyzed by identifying the cell types encountered in the sample by comparing them with reference data sets for healthy and diseased cells. Finally, a false color mapping of the distribution of different types of cells in the tissue section is presented that permits assessment of the prevalence of diseased cells.

Abstract: A biological cell sample holder for use in vibrational spectroscopy. The sample holder includes a rectangular body that has a central relief area and an opening through the relief area. A porous membrane is disposed in the opening and a metal coated disk is disposed on top of the porous membrane. The disk has pores of a predetermined size to allow fluid to pass through the disk but retain cells of interest on the disk.