Label-free measurement of microbicidal gel thickness using low-coherence interferometry.
Journal Article (Letter)
Spectral-domain low-coherence interferometry (LCI) was used to measure the thickness of microbicidal gels applied to a cylindrical calibration test socket. Microbicides are topical formulations containing active ingredients targeted to inhibit specific pathogens that are currently under development for application to the epithelial lining of the lower female reproductive tract to combat sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. Understanding the deployment and drug delivery of these formulations is vital to maximizing their effectiveness. Previously, in vivo measurements of microbicidal formulation thickness were assessed using fluorescence measurements of fluorescein-labeled gels via an optical endoscope-based device. Here we present an LCI-based device that measures the thickness of a formulation without the use of any exogenous agents by analyzing the interference pattern generated between the reflections from the front and back surface of the sample. Results are presented that validate the effectiveness and performance of the LCI measurement in a clinically relevant system as compared to an existing fluorescence-based method. The impact of the new LCI-based design on in vivo measurements is discussed.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Braun, KE; Boyer, JD; Henderson, MH; Katz, DF; Wax, A
Published Date
- March 2006
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 11 / 2
Start / End Page
- 020504 -
PubMed ID
- 16674175
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1560-2281
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 1083-3668
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1117/1.2192767
Language
- eng