SBIR Phase I: Ultrathin endomicroscope

SBIR 第一阶段：超薄内窥镜

• 批准号: 2212906
• 负责人: Antonio Miguel Caravaca Aguirre
• 金额: $ 25.6万
• 依托单位: MODENDO INC.
• 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: 2022-08-01 至 2023-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2212906&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Ultrathin; endomicroscope

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to empower brain scientists with a high-resolution optical imaging instrument to reach currently inaccessible regions of the brain with minimal damage. The instrument contains thin fiber optics probes that enable access to very narrow cavities within the body or penetration of tissue. Deep brain imaging, photo-stimulation, and photo-ablation are possible applications, all of which could help understand brain function and potentially unlock treatments for brain diseases. The imaging instrument to be developed in this project may be amenable to scientific studies in animal models, addressing the need of neuroscientists and imaging facilities. The proposed technology could bring about innovations in biophotonics instrumentation as well as in the ensuing biomedical applications. The project seeks to advance novel imaging technologies with broad applicability addressing a new segment in the endoscopy market.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses a critical need in scientific brain imaging studies for endoscopes that are minimally invasive with a diameter in the order of 100 microns, which represents a cross-area about 10 times smaller than the thinnest existing endoscopes. While current endoscopes are appropriate for insertion in large cavities, their size produces excessive damage in brain imaging applications. The objective is to develop a new class of fundamentally less invasive techniques to investigate novel imaging probes, and to validate a prototype instrument in animal models. It is anticipated that in-vivo imaging of neurons with subcellular resolution at depth will become routine with minimal tissue damage. This novel imaging approach implements wavefront shaping in multimode fibers, using advanced machine learning and signal processing methods, to generate arbitrary digitally-reprogrammable light patterns and 3D images. The ultrathin endomicroscope (UTE) uses a spatial light modulator to first calibrate the fiber and then scan light at high speed, compensating for the inherent modal dispersion and intermodal coupling.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.

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是使大脑科学家能够使用高分辨率光学成像仪器，以最小的损伤到达目前无法到达的大脑区域。该仪器包含薄光纤探头，可以进入体内非常狭窄的腔或穿透组织。脑深部成像、光刺激和光消融都是可能的应用，所有这些都有助于了解大脑功能，并有可能解锁脑部疾病的治疗方法。本项目开发的成像仪器可用于动物模型的科学研究，满足神经科学家和成像设备的需要。所提出的技术可以在生物光子学仪器以及随后的生物医学应用中带来创新。该项目旨在推进具有广泛适用性的新型成像技术，以解决内窥镜市场的新细分市场。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目解决了科学脑成像研究对内窥镜的关键需求，内窥镜的直径在100微米左右，是微创的，它代表的交叉面积比现有最薄的内窥镜小10倍。虽然目前的内窥镜适合插入大腔，但它们的尺寸在脑成像应用中会产生过大的损伤。我们的目标是开发一种新型的微创技术来研究新型成像探针，并在动物模型中验证原型仪器。预计在深度亚细胞分辨率下的神经元体内成像将成为常规，组织损伤最小。这种新颖的成像方法在多模光纤中实现波前整形，使用先进的机器学习和信号处理方法，生成任意数字可重新编程的光模式和3D图像。超薄内窥镜（UTE）使用空间光调制器首先校准光纤，然后以高速扫描光，补偿固有的模态色散和多模态耦合。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。