Spectroscopy techniques are frequently utilized by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and medical and biomedical scientists for research and clinical processes.
Measurements of near infrared, visible, and ultra-violet wavelength ranges are taken for various medical and biomedical purposes. Fiber optic-based spectrometers are capable of facilitating in situ (in vivo) measurements in clinical settings, offering a great deal of value to the industry.
The fiber optic interface is frequently utilized for economical, disposable testing procedures. With the availability of affordable instruments, labs can be brought to the patient. The use of low-cost fiber optic spectrometers over conventional, expensive instruments and detectors provides a superior price to performance ratio – a highly beneficial aspect for biomedical analysis.
Avantes offers solutions to medical and biomedical applications, including phototherapy, capillary electrophoresis, tissue fluorescence, endoscopy, blood analysis (co-oximetry), and much more.
In these industries, the company’s expertise ranges from OEM component supplier to research system configurator. The company also plays a role in projects such as inSPECT, which is a European project aiming for real-time diagnosis of cancer with miniature spectrometers.
Advantages of using Avantes products in medical and biomedical applications
- Ultra-low stray light design
- Thermal stability of optical bench with eight-hour test validation
- Precise timing controls over instruments to achieve repeatable measurement procedures
- High numerical aperture optical bench (HS) design for optimum light collection
- Option to separate optical bench modules and electronics board
Co-oximetry and blood analysis
Co-oximetry measures blood gas parameters using Beer-Lambert law absorption principles. This spectrophotometric methodology is typically performed using the visible light wavelength range of 380-780 nm.
Co-oximetry can measure blood gas parameters including total hemoglobin (tHb), bilirubin (tBil). carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), methemoglobin (MetHb), deoxyhemoglobin (HHb), and oxyhomoglobin (O₂Hb). It can also measure oxygen saturation in blood and is preferred to the use of SO₂c (also referred to as calculated oxygen saturation).
Avantes AvaSpec ultra-low stray light spectrometers (ULS) are ideal instruments for co-oximetry measurements. Undesirable error can be introduced into spectroscopic measurements caused by stray light; error reduction is more critical in certain applications than co-oximetry.
Critical mechanical and thermal stability is also provided by the AvaSpec ULS design, thus enabling critical wavelength stability in co-oximetry measurements.
The wavelength stability of all Avantes instruments has been ensured over different temperature ranges by subjecting them to an 8 hour thermal cycling test. The AvaSpec-ULS2048-USB2 and the AvaSpec-ULS2048L-USB2 are the two most widely used instruments for co-oximetry and blood analysis.
Avantes ultra-low stray light spectrometers (ULS)
Endoscopy
Endoscopic diagnostic procedures use a probe-based system to image the upper gastrointestinal tract by guiding it through the mouth into the stomach.
Spectroscopic measurements can be included during the conventional endoscopy procedure to deliver more details to clinicians for diagnostic purposes. In collaboration with different researchers, Avantes works on endoscopic measurements in order to facilitate more detailed diagnostic information.
Avantes endoscope
The AvaSpec-HS2048XL-USB2 is a high sensitivity spectrometer from Avantes with a proven track record for endoscopic applications. The measurements are typically reflectance based and have range between 300 and 800 nm.
AvaSpec-HS2048XL
A comprehensive line of light sources are offered by Avantes to meet the illumination requirements for endoscopy. Avantes offers the AvaLight-HAL-S tungsten halogen source and the AvaLight-XE pulsed xenon source for integration as OEM modules or as housed independent sources.
AvaLight-HAL-(S)-Mini & AvaLight-XE Pulsed Xenon
Dermal reflection/fluorescence
Reflection measurements carried out on skin and internal tissues can provide in-depth information, which can help diagnose conditions. The use of a dermal auto-fluorescence measurement to detect advanced glycogen end products (AGEs) in patients is an example for such measurements.
How effective radiation therapy can be in reducing cancerous masses can be determined by measuring deep tissue reflection in the near infrared (800-1100 nm). Cancerous tissues may also be detected using visible and ultraviolet fluorescence.
Avantes AGE reader
An array of high sensitivity, low stray light instruments are offered by Avantes for medical and biomedical detection. The TE cooled AvaSpec-HS1024X58-TEC and the AvaSpec-HS2048XL back-thinned CCD operate over the range between 200 and 1100 nm.
Both these instruments are equipped with back-thinned CCD detectors and a 0.22 numerical aperture for optimal sensitivity. With fiber optic sampling, small areas can be measured non-invasively.
Avantes offers its instruments as laboratory equipment in multi-channel "rackmount" housings or single channel housing as well as OEM modules. The company welcomes requests for customization.
Avantes OEM spectrometer modules
- Integrated OEM Spectrometer AvaSpec-ULSi - 200-1100 nm
- Miniature Integrated OEM Spectrometer
- Optical bench modules Avabench-45, 50, 75, Avabench-HS 200-2500 nm
- Electronics controllers for Avabench optical benches
Fiber optic sampling
In certain cases, fiber optic sampling is vital to medical and biomedical applications. A comprehensive line of fiber optic cables, sampling optics, and probes are offered by Avantes.
- Micro tip reflection probes
- Integrating sphere for reflection
- Multi-furcated fibers
- Fluorescence probes
About Avantes BV
Avantes is a leading innovator in the development and application of miniatures spectrometers. Avantes continues to develop and introduce new instruments for fiber optic spectroscopy to meet our customer’s application needs.
Avantes instruments and accessories are also deployed into a variety of OEM applications in a variety of industries in markets throughout the world.
With more than 18 years of experience in fiber optic spectroscopy and thousands of instruments in the field, Avantes is eager to help our customers find their Solutions in Spectroscopy®.
Techniques Supported
- UV-VIS/NIR spectroscopy
- Process control
- Absorbance/transmittance/reflectance
- Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
- CIE color spectroscopy
- Portable spectrometers
- Fluorescence spectroscopy
- Custom applications
- lrradiance
- Raman spectroscopy
- OEM application development
Major Products/Services
Low-cost. high-resolution, miniature fiber optic spectrometers: System solutions and OEM instruments for applications from 185 nm to 2500 nm. Detector choices: PDA, CMOS, CCD, back-thinned CCD, and lnGaAs.
Optical benches with focal lengths of 45, SO or 75 mm; revolutionary new ultra-low straylight
optimized optical bench (ULS) and a new high sensitivity optical bench.
Other Features
- 14 and 16 bit AID converters
- TE cooling
- multi-channel instrument configurations enabling simultaneous signal acquisition
- USB2 communication
- support for multiple instruments from a single computer
- 14 programmable digital I/O ports
Standard Application Solutions
- lrradiance and LED measurements
- gemology
- hemometric analysis
- thin-film measurement
- color
- fluorescence
- laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)
- Raman spectroscopy
- process control
Light Sources
- Tungsten-halogen
- Deuterium
- LED
- Xenon calibration sources for wavelength and irradiance
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