Simultaneous Multiwavelength Imaging of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer for Early Diagnosis of Glaucoma

视网膜神经纤维层同步多波长成像用于青光眼早期诊断

• 批准号: 2209271
• 负责人: Michael Wang
• 金额: $ 48.82万
• 依托单位: University of Miami
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209271&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Simultaneous; Multiwavelength; Imaging; Retinal; Nerve

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Early diagnosis can permit early medical intervention to prevent irreversible visual loss caused by damage to the retina. To assess the glaucoma damage, non-contact optical measurement of retina layer thickness is typically performed in clinical practice. The available optical measurement technique is, however, not sensitive enough to assess early signs of glaucomatous damage of the retina. Recent laboratory studies show that the ultrastructure of the retina is damaged first before apparent retina thickness change. The ultrastructure damage causes reflectance decreases at different wavelengths as disease progresses. Unfortunately, there is no available optical modality that can assess the retina spectral reflectance in real time. This project will design and construct such an imaging device. Completion of the project will lead to a new non-contact optical method that can sensitively detect early glaucoma damage. The study will find the relationship between retina spectral reflectance changes and glaucoma damage by using a rat model of glaucoma. The gained knowledge will have significant impact to the early diagnosis of glaucoma and related medical treatment monitoring. The proposed research will benefit academic research and education by providing graduate students with multidisciplinary training in biophotonics, microelectromechanical systems, and imaging, and by supporting undergraduate senior projects and summer research experiences. The goals of this project are to design, construct, and explore a novel fundus multiwavelength imaging modality for in vivo simultaneous multiwavelength imaging of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and to provide a thorough understanding of in vivo measurement of the RNFL reflectance spectrum. The work builds on the investigators' in vitro experiments that concluded that (1) in the glaucomatous retinas RNFL reflectance decreases prior to thinning of the RNFL and (2) the decrease of RNFL reflectance occurs early at visible wavelength and later at infrared wavelength. The research plan is organized under three specific aims: (1) Design, construct, and explore a new fundus multiwavelength imaging device; (2) Validate measurement capability of the fundus multiwavelength imaging device by comparing the reflectance spectra of the same RNFL measured in vivo and in vitro in the normal rat retina; and (3) Study RNFL reflectance spectra in retinas with glaucoma damage by using a rat model of glaucoma. The gained knowledge will have significant impact on the early diagnosis of glaucoma, which will prevent irreversible visual loss caused by retinal damage, and related medical treatment monitoring.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

青光眼是世界范围内导致失明的主要原因。早期诊断可以允许早期医疗干预，以防止由视网膜损伤引起的不可逆视力丧失。为了评估青光眼损害，在临床实践中通常进行视网膜层厚度的非接触式光学测量。然而，现有的光学测量技术不够灵敏，无法评估视网膜的昏迷性损伤的早期迹象。近年来的实验室研究表明，在视网膜厚度发生明显变化之前，视网膜的超微结构首先受到损害。超微结构损伤导致不同波长的反射率随病情进展而降低。 遗憾的是，没有可用的光学模态可以真实的实时评估视网膜光谱反射率。本项目将设计和构建这样的成像设备。 该项目的完成将导致一种新的非接触式光学方法，可以灵敏地检测早期青光眼损伤。本研究通过建立大鼠青光眼模型，探讨视网膜光谱反射率变化与青光眼损害的关系。这些知识的获得将对青光眼的早期诊断和相关的医疗监测产生重要的影响。拟议的研究将有利于学术研究和教育，为研究生提供生物光子学，微机电系统和成像方面的多学科培训，并支持本科生高级项目和夏季研究经验。 本项目的目标是设计，构建和探索一种新的眼底多波长成像模式，用于视网膜神经纤维层（RNFL）的体内同时多波长成像，并提供RNFL反射光谱的体内测量的透彻理解。这项工作建立在研究人员的体外实验的基础上，得出的结论是：（1）在青光眼视网膜中，RNFL反射率在RNFL变薄之前下降，（2）RNFL反射率的下降在可见光波长处发生得早，在红外波长处发生得晚。本课题的主要研究内容包括：（1）设计、构建和探索一种新的眼底多波长成像装置;（2）通过比较正常大鼠视网膜中相同RNFL的活体和离体反射光谱，研究眼底多波长成像装置的测量能力;（3）用大鼠青光眼模型研究青光眼视网膜损伤后RNFL的反射光谱。 获得的知识将对青光眼的早期诊断产生重大影响，这将防止视网膜损伤导致的不可逆视力丧失，以及相关的医疗监测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。