Enhancing Diagnostic Capabilities for Occupational Lung Diseases Using LIBS Imaging on Biopsy Tissue

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Bioanalytical Techniques
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) imaging is a powerful bioanalytical technique for elemental analysis.
• Hyperspectral LIBS imaging enables rapid, comprehensive elemental analysis from major to trace levels.
• Detecting minor or trace elements in complex biological samples is challenging with conventional methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a multivariate spectral data treatment approach for detecting exotic elements in patient biopsy tissues.
• To develop and apply the Interesting Features Finder (IFF) method for identifying unexpected elements in LIBS hyperspectral data.
• To demonstrate the potential of LIBS imaging and advanced data analysis for diagnosing occupational diseases.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a convex envelope method for multivariate spectral data treatment.
• Developed and applied the Interesting Features Finder (IFF) approach to identify rare spectral features.
• Employed a correlation-based approach to map the distribution of detected elements within biopsy tissues.
• Processed large-scale LIBS hyperspectral data cubes.

Main Results:

• Successfully identified exotic elements, specifically tin and rhodium, in patient biopsy tissues.
• Located the distribution of these trace elements within the tissue samples.
• The findings supported the reclassification of a patient's lung condition as an occupational disease.
• Demonstrated the capability to detect rare events within extensive spectroscopic datasets.

Conclusions:

• The developed data analysis pipeline, including the IFF method, significantly enhances the capabilities of LIBS imaging for clinical analysis.
• This approach overcomes limitations of conventional chemometric tools in detecting trace elements.
• LIBS imaging with advanced data processing offers a promising new diagnostic tool for occupational diseases and other applications in analytical chemistry.