Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Laser Microirradiation to Study In Vivo Cellular Responses to Simple and Complex DNA Damage
Published on: January 31, 2018
Primary and secondary damage to biological tissue induced by laser radiation
1Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Haifa 32000, Israel.
Abstract:
A simple analytic model describing the evolution of the thermal injury during and after exposure of biological tissue to pulses of intense laser radiation is presented. Estimates for the upper and lower bounds of the extent of the thermal injury associated with protein and enzyme denaturization (secondary damage) relative to the extent of burned tissue (primary damage) are presented. The energy necessary for burn threshold and the energy required to induce both types of thermal injury increase with laser pulse duration. An optimal duration of laser pulse exists at which the extent of the secondary damage relative to the primary damage is the smallest.
Related Concept Videos
Biological Effects of Radiation
Cellular Injury II: Classification
Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology
Cellular Injury I: Introduction
Burn Injuries
The damage results in the death of skin cells, which can lead to a massive loss of fluid. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and renal and circulatory failure follow, which can be fatal. Burn patients are treated with intravenous fluids to offset...
Spinal Cord Injury ll: Pathophysiology

