“We have demonstrated how you can detect blood clots using photoacoustic flow-cytometry. We will potentially be able to destroy them right away, but this requires additional research,” Alexander Melerzanov, a senior fellow at Moscow’s Institute of Physics and Technology, told RIA.
Formation of clots in the blood stream is the main cause of strokes and heart attacks. Breaking loose in the bloodstream they can clog arteries often resulting in a patient’s death.
The new method involves irradiating fluorescent dye-labeled cells with a laser beam and introducing them into the human body. The introduced cells emit light on their own wavelength, which is then picked up by a lens and mirror system and subsequently decomposed with the help of a laser beam.
Alexander Melerzanov said that even though this technique cannot yet be used in large arteries in real time, it still allows to detect the appearance of “runaway” clots during and after operations, including with cancer patients.
This inspires hope that the new method will someday help prevent thrombosis-related complications at early stages of their formation, RIA Novosti wrote.
