FLUORESCENCE LIFETIME-BASED SENSING IN TISSUES - A COMPUTATIONAL STUDY

We have numerically solved the photon diffusion equation to predict the distribution of light ina tissue model system with a uniform concentration of fluorophore. Our results show that time-dependent measurements of light propagation can be used to monitor the fluorescent lifetimes of a uniformly distributed fluorophore in tissues. With proper referencing, frequency-domain measurements of phase-shift, theta, may allow quantitation of fluorescent lifetimes, tau, independent of changes in the local absorption nd scattering properties. These results point to a new approach for noninvasive diagnostic monitoring through quantitation of fluorescent lifetime, tau, when the lifetime of the fluorophore is comparable with photon migration times.