CAREER: Miniature Scanning Endoscope for Multi-modality High-resolution Optical Imaging of Internal Organs

0348720Li这个职业发展计划专注于开发新一代扫描内窥镜，它具有传统扫描显微镜的所有主要功能，但又足够小，可以为内部器官成像，长期专注于早期疾病检测，特别是早期癌症检测。除了临床应用，该设备也可能是基础生物医学研究的宝贵工具，特别是那些涉及到系列体内动物模型研究的研究。该研究计划的主要目标是开发一种微型、前瞻性、多模式光学成像设备，可以通过内窥镜提供，以细胞分辨率或接近细胞分辨率检查内部器官。内窥镜可以与光学相干断层扫描(OCT)、共聚焦显微镜和潜在的多光子(荧光)显微镜(MPM)一起使用，进行非侵入性的“光学活组织检查”。逐年的具体计划是：(1)开发扫描内窥镜的基本部件，包括微型光纤光束扫描器和高性能的消色差微光学元件；(2)探索利用超声微电机的新型实时焦点跟踪机制；(3)开发新的光束扫描方案，实现超宽带光源的实时超高分辨率OCT成像，并研究微型扫描内窥镜的实时面部共焦成像；(4)利用致癌动物模型研究扫描内窥镜用于评估癌变的可行性；(5)将扫描内窥镜进一步小型化，与常规表面组织内窥镜对接，探索扫描内窥镜用于MPM成像的可行性。除了临床应用，建议的设备也可以是基础生物医学研究的宝贵工具，特别是那些涉及到系列活体动物模型研究的研究。该教育计划的中心目标是创建一个强大的生物医学成像和生物光子学研究和教育计划，垂直整合物理、工程和临床诊断应用程序。该计划包括发展研究生和本科课程，并让学生(特别是本科生)参与研究人员的研究计划，从而为学生提供必要的严格培训，使基础生物医学工程研究与临床应用联系起来。

0348720LiThis Career Development Plan focuses on developing a new-generation scanning endoscope that has all the major functions of a conventional scanning microscope yet is sufficiently small for imaging internal organs, with a long-term focus on early disease detection, particularly early cancer detection. In addition to clinical applications, the device may also be a valuable tool for basic biomedical research, particularly for those involving serial in vivo animal model studies. The primary objective of the research plan is to develop a miniature, forward-looking, multi-modality optical imaging device that can be delivered endoscopically for examining internal organs at or near cellular resolution. The endoscope can be used with optical coherence tomography (OCT), confocal microscopy and potentially multiphoton (fluorescence) microscopy (MPM), to perform non-invasive "optical biopsy." The year-by-year specific plans are to: (1) develop the essential components for a scanning endoscope, including a miniature fiber-optic beam scanner and high performance achromatic micro optics; (2) explore a novel real-time focus-tracking mechanism using an ultrasonic micromotor; (3) develop a new beam-scanning scheme that enables real-time ultrahigh resolution OCT imaging with an ultra broadband light source, and study real-time en face confocal imaging with the miniature scanning endoscope; (4) investigate the feasibility of the scanning endoscope for assessing cancerous changes using a carcinogenesis animal model; and (5) further miniaturize the scanning endoscope to interface with conventional surface tissue endoscopes, and explore the feasibility of the scanning endoscope for MPM imaging. In addition to clinical applications, the proposed device can also be a valuable tool for basic biomedical research, particularly for those involving serial in vivo animal model studies. The central aim of the education plan is to create a strong biomedical imaging and biophotonics research and education program, which vertically integrates physics, engineering and clinical diagnosis applications. The plan involves developing graduate and undergraduate courses and engaging students (particularly, undergraduate students) in the investigator's research program, thus providing students with the rigorous training necessary to bridge basic biomedical engineering research and clinical applications.