CAREER: Coherent Microscopic Imaging and Spectroscopy in Bioengineering

9624617 Izatt这份职业计划书结合了生物医学工程领域的研究和教育活动。拟议的研究计划旨在开发具有微观分辨率的生物组织的地下光学层析成像新技术。这将通过发展基于光学相干层析成像的进步来实现，这是一种新型相干域（干涉）光学测量技术，源自最先进的光纤光通信技术。该研究将应用于生物技术和微创医学诊断，如内窥镜和腹腔镜检查。为了提高相干域成像的分辨率和对比度，提出了一些新的概念。光学相干断层扫描将与共聚焦显微镜相结合，以便在完整的生物组织中进行单微米分辨率至几毫米深的显微镜检查。新的数字信号处理算法将开发用于提高分辨率的光学相干层析成像使用反褶积。将开发一种新的超宽带激光源，以实现高速和高分辨率光学相干层析成像。后两种技术在光学成像系统的数值孔径受到限制的微创医学诊断等应用中将特别有用。本文还提出了利用组织散射光的光谱特性来提高相干域光学成像对比度的方法。将开发一种独特的系统，用于同时获取两种不同波长的光学相干层析成像。该系统将采用一对近红外波长，在水中具有不同的吸收特性，并将产生组织水化的图像。最后，将开发独特的数字信号处理算法，用于在有限波长范围内提取组织样本的深度分辨后向散射光谱。最后一种技术首次同时描述了层析光学成像和深度分辨背散射光谱，并可能在早期癌症诊断中找到应用。每一项拟议的技术进步都将在实验室实施，并测试与当前标准成像技术相比，诊断潜力的改进。除了拟议的研究计划外，还将开展两项教育活动。凯斯西储大学（CWRU）研究生生物医学工程课程“生物医学中的光学传感和成像”将被开发，以满足全国对该领域教学技术和教学材料进步的需求。将与内窥镜专家合作开发内窥镜成像技术的继续医学教育课程，并提供给执业医生。后一项倡议利用了首席研究员进入医学教育环境的独特机会，为医生提供物理科学和工程原理方面的指导。通过为学生和医学专业人员提供教育培训，以及直接支持学生参与研究项目，总体提案将主要研究者计划的职业发展的研究和教学方面紧密结合起来。＊＊＊

9624617 Izatt This CAREER proposal combines research and educational initiatives in the field of biomedical engineering. The proposed research program is directed toward the development of new techniques for sub-surface, optical tomographic imaging in biological tissues with microscopic resolution. This will be accomplished by developing advances based on optical coherence tomography, a novel coherence-domain (interferometric) optical measurement technique derived from state-of-the-art fiber-optic optical communications technologies. The proposed research will have applications in biotechnology and minimally invasive medical diagnostics such as endoscopy and laparoscopy. Several novel concepts are proposed for increasing the resolution and contrast of coherence-domain imaging. Optical coherence tomography will be combined with confocal microscopy in order to perform microscopy with single micron resolution up to several millimeters deep in intact biological tissues. Novel digital signal processing algorithms will be developed for improving the resolution of optical coherence tomography images using deconvolution. A new ultra-broadbandwidth laser source will be developed to enable combined high-speed and high-resolution optical coherence tomography imaging. The latter two techniques will be particularly useful in applications such as minimally invasive medical diagnostics in which the numerical aperture of the optical imaging system is restricted. Methods are also proposed for increasing the contrast in coherence-domain optical imaging by taking advantage of the spectral properties of light scattered from tissues. A unique system will be developed for acquiring optical coherence tomography images at two different optical wavelengths simultaneously. This system will employ a pair of wavelengths in the near-infrared with differential absorption characteristics in water, and will generate images of tissue hydration. Finally, unique digital signal processi ng algorithms will be developed for extracting the depth-resolved backscatter spectrum of tissue samples over limited wavelength ranges. This last technique constitutes the first description of simultaneous tomographic optical imaging and depth-resolved backscatter spectroscopy for the first time, and may find applications in early cancer diagnosis. Each of the proposed technical advances will be implemented in the laboratory and tested for improvements in diagnostic potential against current standard imaging techniques. In addition to the proposed research program, two educational initiatives will be undertaken. A Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) graduate Biomedical Engineering course on Optical Sensing and Imaging in Biomedicine will be developed to address a nationwide need for advances in teaching techniques and pedagogical materials in this field. A continuing medical education course on Endoscopic Imaging Technology will be developed in collaboration with expert endoscopists and offered to practicing physicians. The latter initiative takes advantage of the principal investigator's unique access to the medical education environment to provide instruction to physicians in physical science and engineering principles. By providing educational training for students and medical professionals, as well as directly supporting participation of students in the research program, the overall proposal closely integrates research and teaching aspects of the principal investigator's planned career development. ***