Cell delivery catheter and method

1. A cell delivery catheter system for delivering and positioning cells in a patient's body, comprising:

a catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, said catheter body defining a central axis;

a plurality of optical fibers embedded within the catheter body or placed upon its outer or inner surface for conveying illumination to and optical signals from the target tissues;

a cell delivery barrel located within said catheter body having a distal aperture;

lumens surrounding the cell delivery barrel for delivery of said cells;

the cell delivery barrel having a volume to carry and deliver cells within said volume;

a source of fluid coupled to said cell delivery barrel for ejecting said cells from said cell delivery barrel under the control of the user; and

wherein said optical fibers in said catheter body provide a cytometry means to count cells that pass though port holes of said catheter.

2. The catheter system of claim 1 , wherein some of said optical fibers deliver light to and some of said optical fibers gather light from port holes on said catheter body.

3. The catheter system of claim 1 , wherein said optical fibers are collectively used to optically monitor the passage of individual cells through port holes via fluorescence of the cells.

4. The catheter system of claim 3 , wherein fluorescence-based signals associated with cell passage through port holes provide a feedback control means to regulate a pump or other actuator driving the flow of said cells.

5. The catheter system of claim 1 wherein at least one optical fiber emits radiation and another optical fiber collects and transmits collected radiation.

6. The catheter system of claim 1 wherein the emitted radiation is ultraviolet radiation and collected radiation is fluorescing radiation.

7. The catheter system of claim 1 wherein at least some optical fibers receive and transmit light as part of cell counting device.

8. A cell delivery catheter system for delivering and positioning cells in a patient's body, comprising:

a catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, said catheter body defining a central axis;

a plurality of optical fibers embedded within the catheter body or placed upon its outer or inner surface for conveying illumination to and optical signals from the target tissues;

a cell delivery barrel located within said catheter body having a distal aperture;

a plurality of lumens adjacent the cell delivery barrel for delivery of said cells;

the cell delivery barrel having a volume to carry and deliver cells within said volume;

a source of fluid coupled to said cell delivery barrel for ejecting said cells from said cell delivery barrel under the control of the user; and

wherein said optical fibers in said catheter body provide a cytometry means to count cells that pass though port holes of said catheter.

9. The catheter system of claim 8 , wherein some of said optical fibers deliver light to and some of said optical fibers gather light from port holes on said catheter body.

10. The catheter system of claim 8 , wherein said optical fibers are collectively used to optically monitor the passage of individual cells through port holes via fluorescence of the cells.

11. The catheter system of claim 8 , wherein fluorescence-based signals associated with cell passage through said port holes provide a feedback control means to regulate a pump or other actuator driving the flow of said cells.

12. The catheter system of claim 8 wherein at least one optical fiber emits radiation and another optical fiber collects and transmits collected radiation.

13. The catheter system of claim 8 wherein the emitted radiation is ultraviolet radiation and collected radiation is fluorescing radiation.

14. The catheter system of claim 8 wherein at least some optical fibers receive and transmit light as part of cell counting device.