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An Experimental Phototherapy Device for Studying the Effects of Blue Light on Patients with Raynaud’s Phenomenon

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Abstract

Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) is a condition that causes decreased blood flow to areas perfused by small blood vessels (e.g., fingers, toes). In severe cases, ulceration, gangrene, and loss of fingers may occur. Most treatments focus on inducing vasorelaxation in affected areas by the way of pharmaceuticals. Recently, animal studies have shown that vasorelaxation can be induced by non-coherent blue light (wavelength ~ 430–460 nm) through the actions of melanopsin, a photoreceptive opsin protein encoded by the OPN4 gene. To study this effect in humans, a reliable phototherapy device (PTD) is needed. We outline the construction of a PTD to be used in studying blue light effects on Raynaud’s patients. Our design addresses user safety, calibration, electromagnetic compatibility/interference (EMC/EMI), and techniques for measuring physiological responses (temperature sensors, laser Doppler flow sensors, infrared thermal imaging of the hands). We tested our device to ensure (1) safe operating conditions, (2) predictable, user-controlled irradiance output levels, (3) an ability for measuring physiological responses, and (4) features necessary to enable a double-blinded crossover study for a clinical trial. We also include in the Methods an approved research protocol utilizing our device that may serve as a starting point for clinical study. We introduced a reliable PTD for studying the effects of blue light therapy for patients suffering from Raynaud’s phenomenon and showed that our device is safe and reliable and includes the required measurement vectors for tracking treatment effects throughout the duration of a clinical study.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the participation and invaluable contributions of Jennifer Chmura and Kushal Sehgal. We are also grateful for support from the University of Minnesota Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2501 Speedway, Austin, 78712, USA

    Brett Levac

  2. University of Minnesota Law School, 229 S 19th Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    James Kerber

  3. University of New England, Public Health, 716 Stevens Ave, Portland, ME, 04103, USA

    Emily Wagner

  4. University of Minnesota, Scleroderma Clinic, 717 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, USA

    Jerry A. Molitor

  5. Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 312 Church St. S.E. Ste 7-105, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Steven S. Saliterman

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Correspondence to Brett Levac.

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Disclosures

On January 9, 2024 the authors and the University of Minnesota received a patent (U.S. 11,865,357) for the PTD and various methods for translating the technology into useful solutions for patients (both stationary and wearable systems).

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Appendix

Appendix

Electronic Subsystems

See Fig. 8.

Fig. 8
figure 8

a Integration of the PTD console, optical stack and electronic subsystems as viewed from the bottom. 12 VDC from the power monitor is distributed to the various units as shown (letter P). A step-up converter brings the 12 VDC power supply to ~ 42 VDC for the LED panels. This voltage is adjustable and set at the time of calibration. b Bottom view. A custom PCB (1) was created for interconnecting the various displays, indicator lights, fans, switches (1, 2), LED panels, power supply, and fuse. c Bottom view with optical stack and shielding removed for visibility. The HC detector microswitches (3), LED power connector (4), HC thermocouple (5) and fans (6) can be seen. The TC is fastened into a holder attached to the back of the optical stack, allowing it to extend into an inserted HC automatically (see Fig. 1c). The HC can then be changed for treatment vs. sham studies without needing to reconnect the thermocouple.

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Levac, B., Kerber, J., Wagner, E. et al. An Experimental Phototherapy Device for Studying the Effects of Blue Light on Patients with Raynaud’s Phenomenon. Ann Biomed Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-024-03487-z

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