PFI:AIR - TT: Prototype development for wide-field optical coherence tomography angiography

该PFI：AIR技术翻译项目的重点是翻译并行光学相干断层扫描（OCT）成像技术，以满足宽视场无标记OCT血管造影的需求。 OCT作为糖尿病视网膜病变、黄斑变性、青光眼以及其他视网膜和角膜疾病的标准诊断工具已广泛用于眼科临床。无标记OCT血管造影术非常重要，因为它显示出优于传统荧光素血管造影术的有前途的功能，传统荧光素血管造影术需要静脉注射荧光素染料，可能导致各种并发症。 OCT血管造影术是完全无创的，不涉及外源性染料注射的风险，并且能够提供关于血管结构的深度分辨信息，直至毛细血管水平。 该项目将产生具有16个并行成像通道的宽视场OCT血管造影系统的临床原型。该原型系统将在视网膜的12 mm × 12 mm区域上实现高清晰度、宽视野OCT血管造影，这与标准荧光素血管造影的视野相当。 视网膜的整个3D宽视场OCT血管造影图像可以在不到两秒的时间内获得，避免了任何运动伪影或患者眼睛的眨眼。与该市场领域领先的商业OCT血管造影系统相比，这些功能在成像速度和宽视野方面提供了显著改善。 该项目解决了从研究发现到商业应用的以下技术差距。虽然平行OCT成像的原理已经在实验室环境中得到了证明，但还没有能够对人眼进行成像的临床原型。该项目的重点是开发用于空分复用OCT的硬件和软件解决方案，以实现人眼的功能性OCT成像（例如血管造影），并测试其在临床环境中的可行性。 此外，参与该项目的人员、研究生、博士后助理和临床研究员将通过多学科研究活动获得技术和创业培训经验。该项目聘请了宾夕法尼亚大学Scheie眼科研究所的亚历山大布鲁克博士，以证明该技术在人类患者中的临床可行性。临床可行性的成功证明是这项技术从研究发现转化为商业现实的重要一步。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating a parallel optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging technology to fill the need for wide-field label-free OCT angiography. OCT has been widely used in ophthalmic clinics as a standard diagnostic tool for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and other retinal and corneal diseases. Label-free OCT angiography is important because it demonstrates promising features over traditional fluorescein angiography, which requires intravenous injection of fluorescein dye that may lead to various complications. OCT angiography is completely noninvasive, does not involve the risks of exogenous dye injection, and is capable of providing depth-resolved information about vascular structures down to the capillary level. The project will result in a clinical prototype of a wide-field OCT angiography system with 16 parallel imaging channels. This prototype system will enable high-definition, wide field OCT angiography over a 12 mm × 12 mm region of the retina, which is comparable to the field-of-view of standard fluorescein angiography. An entire 3D wide-field OCT angiography image of the retina can be obtained in less than two seconds, avoiding any motion artifacts or blinking of the patient's eyes. These features provide significant improvement in terms of imaging speed and wide-field of view when compared to the leading commercial OCT angiography systems in this market space. This project addresses the following technology gaps as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application. Although the principle of parallel OCT imaging has been demonstrated in laboratory settings, a clinical prototype capable of imaging human eyes has not been available. This project focuses on developing hardware and software solutions for space-division multiplexing OCT in order to enable functional OCT imaging (e.g. angiography) of human eyes, and testing its feasibility in clinical settings. In addition, personnel involved in this project, graduate students, post-doctoral associates and clinical fellows, will receive technical and entrepreneurship training experiences through multidisciplinary research activities. The project engages Dr. Alexander Brucker at the Scheie Eye Institute of the University of Pennsylvania to demonstrate clinical feasibility of the proposed technology in human patients. Successful demonstration of clinical feasibility is an important step in this technology translation effort from research discovery toward commercial reality.