• About
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Institutional Repository Home
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Institutional Repository Home
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Institutional RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Using Optical Imaging Methods to Assess Laser-Tissue Interactions

    Wilmink, Gerald Joseph
    : https://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/etd-11062007-161955
    http://hdl.handle.net/1803/14440
    : 2007-12-05

    Abstract

    Recent years have seen an explosive increase in the use of lasers for medical applications, particularly in the field of dermatology where they are commonly used to achieve aesthetic, surgical, and therapeutic clinical objectives. Effective cutaneous laser procedures are achieved by tailoring the operating parameters of the laser to the physical and optical properties of the skin. Ideal laser parameters are selected to optimize therapeutic efficacy while minimizing unwanted side effects and tissue damage. Laser-induced tissue injury is known to occur via oxidative, photothermal, photomechanical, and photochemical mechanisms. However, the specific cellular and molecular pathways that initiate and govern these mechanisms are poorly understood. The primary objective of this research was to develop skin models and in vivo molecular imaging techniques to investigate laser-skin interactions. In this work, human skin cells, skin equivalent models, and animal models were developed to assess cellular damage associated with aesthetic, ablative, and therapeutic laser procedures. Thermal damage was assessed using a reporter gene system in which the activation of a thermo-responsive gene (hsp70A1) acts like an “on-off” switch for the expression and production of light emitting reporter genes. The models were used in this study to: (1) evaluate sublethal cellular damage in aesthetic laser procedures, (2) assess collateral damage in laser surgical ablation procedures, and (3) develop a therapeutic laser preconditioning protocol to enhance cutaneous wound repair. The use of skin models in conjunction with a thermally responsive reporter is a useful strategy for assessing sublethal thermal damage and is a valuable tool for improving medical laser procedures.
    Show full item record

    Files in this item

    Icon
    Name:
    Wilmink.pdf
    Size:
    7.784Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    View/Open

    This item appears in the following collection(s):

    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations

    Connect with Vanderbilt Libraries

    Your Vanderbilt

    • Alumni
    • Current Students
    • Faculty & Staff
    • International Students
    • Media
    • Parents & Family
    • Prospective Students
    • Researchers
    • Sports Fans
    • Visitors & Neighbors

    Support the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries

    Support the Library...Give Now

    Gifts to the Libraries support the learning and research needs of the entire Vanderbilt community. Learn more about giving to the Libraries.

    Become a Friend of the Libraries

    Quick Links

    • Hours
    • About
    • Employment
    • Staff Directory
    • Accessibility Services
    • Contact
    • Vanderbilt Home
    • Privacy Policy