Novel optical techniques for investigating cellular and vascular biophysics
Abstract
This is a collaborative program between investigators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital/Boston University to develop new optical imaging technologies and investigate fundamental cellular and vascular biophysical processes. Research themes in this program included: (1) Developing dynamic light scattering (DLS) theory for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging to investigate biophysical process of fluid transport and blood flow. (2) Developing OCT angiography (OCTA) and phase-resolved Doppler OCT techniques to investigate the flow mechanics in cerebral and retinal circulation. (3) Developing new OCTA techniques to investigate functional response in the human retina. (4) Developing ultrahigh resolution spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) techniques to investigate photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium function in humans. (5) Developing nonlinear microscopy (NLM) for rapid virtual histology of tissue specimens. A key focus is to demonstrate these new imaging technologies for studies in the brain and retina. Improved understanding of biophysical processes in the brain is critical for advancing neuroscience as well as developing treatments for traumatic brain injury, stroke and other conditions. Conversely, studies of functional processes in retina are important for fundamental science as well as investigating vision threating diseases such as age related macular degeneration and diabetes. The retina is complimentary to the brain, exhibiting many biophysical features present in the brain such as neurotransduction and neurovascular coupling, while having the powerful advantage that it can be optically imaged non-invasively in humans. An additional theme is the development of techniques for virtual histology, addressing the problem of visualizing cellular structure in intact tissue specimens. This work has the potential to have a powerful impact in fundamental studies as well as intraoperative guidance for cancer surgery.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1086058
Entities
People
- James Fujimoto
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology