Optimization of diffuse Raman spectroscopy for in-vivo quantification of foreign body response in a small animal model

Diffuse Raman spectroscopy (DRS) allows subsurface molecular analysis of optically turbid samples. Numerical modeling of light propagation was used as a method for improving the design of an DRS instrument to maximize the signal to noise ratio (SNR) while ensuring safe laser exposure parameters required for in-vivo measurements. Experimental validation of the model was performed on both phantom samples and disks implanted postmortem to mimic the typical response to foreign bodies (formation of a fibrotic capsule around an implant). A reduction of laser exposure of over 1500-fold was achieved over previous studies whilst maintaining the same Raman collection rates and reaching the safe power density of 3 mW/mm². The validation of this approach in a subcutaneous implant in a mouse cadaver showed a further improvement of 1.5-fold SNR, with a thickness limit of detection for the fibrotic layer of 23 µm, under the same acquisition times. In the animal body, a thickness limit of detection of 16 µm was achieved. These results demonstrate the feasibility of numerical model-based optimization for DRS, and that the technique can be improved sufficiently to be used for in-vivo measurement of collagenous capsule formation as a result of the foreign body response in murine models.