Terahertz Response of Biological Tissue for Diagnostic and Treatment in Personalized Medicine

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NIQUE OF MEDICAL MONITORING AND VISUALIZATION

Terahertz Response of Biological Tissue for Diagnostic and Treatment in Personalized Medicine N. T. Bagraeva, L. E. Klyachkina, A. M. Malyarenkoa, and K. B. Taranetsb,* a

b Peter

Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg, 194021 Russia the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 195251 Russia *e-mail: [email protected]

Received January 16, 2020; revised February 21, 2020; accepted February 21, 2020

Abstract—A spectrometer based on silicon nanosandwiches (SNSs) is proposed for problems of personalized medicine. SNS structures exhibit properties of terahertz (THz) emitter and receiver of the THz response of biological tissue. Measurements of the I–V characteristics of the SNS structure make it possible to analyze the spectral composition of the THz response of biological tissue and determine relative contributions of various proteins and amino acids contained in the structure of DNA oligonucleotides and the corresponding compounds. Evident advantages of the proposed method are related to the fact that the THz response can be directly obtained from living biological tissue and, hence, used for express analysis of the DNA oligonucleotides. Tests of several control groups show that the further analysis of the specific features of the spectral peaks of the SNS I–V characteristics is of interest for methods of personalized diagnostics and treatment. DOI: 10.1134/S1063784220090066

INTRODUCTION Terahertz (THz) radiation spans a wide range of frequencies (100 GHz–30 THz) and wavelengths (3 mm–10 μm) belonging to the short-wavelength part of the millimeter wavelength range, entire millimeter range, and far-IR range. THz photons have relatively low energies, so that the radiation is nonionizing. Note that the THz radiation stimulates important biological reactions in spite of the fact that the radiation is attenuated by more than four orders of magnitude at penetration depths from the skin surface of several hundreds of micrometers. All proteins and protein compounds exhibit absorption and emission in the THz range. Unfortunately, THz radiation does not penetrate through the atmosphere, so that only artificial sources can be used. The corresponding devices (e.g., free-electron lasers, travelling wave tubes, and thermal sources of incoherent radiation) are cumbersome and expensive, and low-noise liquid-helium-cooled bolometers are used for detection of the THz radiation. However, recent progress in nanotechnology of semiconductors and high-temperature superconductors has made it possible to fabricate compact solidstate devices for THz emission and detection [1, 2]. Thus, experiments can be performed in the recently inaccessible spectral interval, which is promising for practical applications. THz radiation freely passes through paper, wood, several construction elements, plastics, ceramics, upper skin layers, and clothes. In several European

countries, gigahertz waves are used for scanning of passengers and luggage at airports instead of harmful X-ray radiat