THE UCL BIOMEDICAL OPTICS RESEARCH LABORATORY: CROSS DISCIPLINARY FEASIBILITY ACCOUNT

将开展以下研究活动：1。利用声光效应听被动脑声我们提出研究一种新的诊断工具，基于被动光学检测由大脑发出的声波，由于异常血流。这可以用来检测异常，如脑肿瘤，脑动脉阻塞（狭窄）和动脉瘤。如果成功，它可以扩展到身体其他部位发出的声音的研究，例如在肌肉骨骼系统，心脏和肺。光声腔作为混沌量子系统、雷达和通信系统的模拟物光声成像是一种基于激光超声波探测的新型医学成像方法。提出了一种将待成像物体封闭在声腔中的新方法。通过检测腔体周围的声音混响，可以仅使用单个检测器来重建图像，从而显著地降低了光声成像仪器的成本和复杂性。一个关键的方面也将是探索使用这种腔作为类似物，以帮助理解量子动力学，雷达和电磁学中的其他混响或多径系统。利用原子力显微镜的纳米级光声成像将研究一种新的技术，用于提供生物样品和其他材料的纳米级空间分辨率的3D图像。这涉及到使用原子力显微镜来检测由吸收非常短的激光脉冲产生的高频超声波引起的表面位移。这种方法可以为研究单个细胞、细胞器或大蛋白质分子等生物样品提供强大的工具，并有助于新药的开发。它也可以用于材料科学，例如，半导体材料，以帮助开发新的电子设备。4成像乳腺癌使用激光诱导声速断层扫描的可行性，一个新的医学成像模式，用于检测乳腺癌的基础上，诱导声速变化使用近红外激光将进行探索。这提供了通过提供光学吸收的3D图像来增强诊断能力的前景，使其成为用于检测乳腺癌和监测治疗的更有效的工具。在血管医学和新生儿护理中的应用也有望出现，并且该技术的各个方面，例如图像重建方法，预计将与非医疗应用（例如工业火焰诊断）相关。热致变色对比剂用于生物组织温度成像探讨了利用热致变色颜料作为对比剂在生物组织厚样品中生成温度分布图像的可行性。这种颜料根据温度改变其光学吸收特性，并且这可以使用各种光学方法如光学层析成像和光声成像来检测。然后，这种技术可以用作优化治疗参数的工具，例如激光手术，放射治疗和光动力癌症治疗。6.使用多光谱光学成像技术发现古代文本我们建议将临床光学光谱学和成像技术扩展到分析古代文件，如palimpests，通过删除基本文本使其对人眼不可见而重新使用的文件。我们提出的技术，使用多波长照明和光谱图像分析，提供了前景增加对比度，使文本被破译。其他应用领域包括文件分析，艺术品修复和伪造检测。

The following research activities will be undertaken:1. Listening to passive brain sound using the acousto-optic effectWe propose investigating a new diagnostic tool based upon the passive optical detection of sound waves emitted by the brain due to abnormal blood flow. This could be used to detect abnormalities such as brain tumours, blockages in a cerebral artery (stenosis) and aneurysms. If successful, it could be extended to the study of sounds emitted elsewhere in the body, for example in the muscoskeletal system, heart and lungs.2. Photoacoustic cavities as an analogue for chaotic quantum systems, radar and communication systemsPhotoacoustic imaging is a new medical imaging method based upon the detection of laser generated ultrasound waves. A new approach in which the object to be imaged is enclosed within an acoustic cavity is proposed. By detecting the sound reverberating around the cavity an image can be reconstructed using just single detector thus dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of photoacoustic imaging instruments. A critical aspect will also be the exploration of the use of such cavities as analogues to help understand other reverberant or multipath systems in quantum dynamics, radar and telecommunications.3. Nanoscale photoacoustic imaging using an atomic force microscopeA novel technique for providing 3D images of biological samples and other materials with nanoscale spatial resolution will be investigated. This involves using an atomic force microscope to detect the surface displacements induced by high frequency ultrasound waves generated by the absorption of very short laser pulses. This approach could provide a powerful tool for studying biological samples such as individual cells, organelles or large protein molecules and aid the development of new drugs. It could also be used in materials science for example to characterise semiconductor materials to aid the development of new electronic devices.4 Imaging breast cancer using laser-induced sound speed tomographyThe feasibility of a new medical imaging modality for detecting breast cancer based upon inducing sound speed variations using near-infrared laser light will be explored. This offers the prospect of enhanced diagnostic capability by providing 3D images of optical absorption making it a more effective tool both for the detection of breast cancer and monitoring treatment. Applications in vascular medicine and neonatal care are also expected to emerge and aspects of the technique, such as the image reconstruction methods, are expected to be of relevance to non medical applications such as industrial flame diagnostics.5. Thermochromic contrast agents for imaging temperature in biological tissueThe feasibility of generating images of temperature distribution in thick samples of biological tissue using thermochromic pigments as contrast agents will be explored. Such pigments change their optical absorption characteristics depending on temperature and this can be detected using a variety of optical methods such optical tomography and photoacoustic imaging. This technique could then be used as a tool to optimise the treatment parameters of therapies such as laser surgery, radiotherapy, and photodynamic cancer therapy. 6. Uncovering ancients texts using multispectral optical imaging techniquesWe propose to extend techniques developed in clinical optical spectroscopy and imaging to the analysis of ancient documents such as palimpsests, documents that have been reused by removing the underlying text rendering it invisible to the human eye. The techniques we propose, using multiwavelength illumination and a spectroscopic image analysis, offer the prospect of increasing contrast allowing the text to be deciphered. Other areas of application include document analysis, art restoration and forgery detection.