Liquid crystal lasers: Towards future ophthalmic imaging technologies

液晶激光器：迈向未来眼科成像技术

• 批准号: 2103986
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Edinburgh
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2103986
• 关键词: Liquid; crystal; lasers; Towards; future

The properties of lasers are widely utilised in ophthalmology. Surgical examples include posterior coagulation during vitrectomy procedures which benefit from optical fibre laser beam delivery (in contrast to less precise electrosurgery) and femtosecond infrared beams for corneal flap-cutting which eliminate the risk of corneal tears associated with manual incisions. In diagnostics, for example, lasers can optically probe fluorescent-tagged biomarkers within the epithelium to detect medical abnormalities, such as age-related macular degeneration. A limitation of this, is that each biomarker has a particular optical absorption wavelength, thus several wavelengths are needed to probe multiple fluorophores. A solution would be to use a tuneable laser. As a graduate, my first three years in industry were spent working on a tunable solid-state Ti:Sapphire laser. This, however, would be impractical in a clinical environment due to its cost, size and weight. Over the last three years I have worked in ophthalmology with phacoemulsification, vitreoretinal, and refractive systems where lasers are widely used. I have witnessed the previously described procedures and seen first-hand the need for compact, manoeuvrable and reliable devices. These features have only been partially achieved, with many ophthalmic appliances remaining cumbersome, and multiple systems needed to complete different steps of a single procedure due to technological constraints.Liquid crystal lasers could provide the solution to such limitations. This newly-developed technology exploits the self-assembling properties of liquid crystal nanostructures to create cavities 10 microns thick. When doped with multiple organic dyes, a highly efficient and customisable emission in the visible range of 450nm-850nm is achieved. The simple, compact and tunable properties of narrow-linewidth liquid crystal lasers, combined with the low-cost of production, have the potential to be developed into a stand-alone diagnostic device or integrated into a pre-existing one. The versatility of such a device would be of great advantage in a clinical environment over larger more expensive products needed to achieve the same outcome.The development of liquid crystal lasers is the focus of my prospective supervisor, Dr Philip Hands, with whom I have met and discussed the project in detail. The PhD has vast scope for investigation including, but not limited to: testing different chemical dopants; varying microfabrication techniques; optimising cavity design; improving beam quality; integrating liquid crystal lasers with existing diagnostic devices and/or designing bespoke housing for a stand-alone unit to trial in a treatment room environment. The project for developing liquid crystal laser technology would benefit from the expertise of Dr Hands and the extensive resources available through the University of Edinburgh. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to return to the university and combine my passions for photonics and ophthalmology with the aim to improve the diagnosis of ophthalmic diseases. I believe that the experience, knowledge and skills I have acquired would bring a unique and relevant skillset to this project. Dr Hands is presently negotiating a collaboration with Optos, with the intention of securing industrial sponsorship for the project. He has also established a clinical partnership with an ophthalmologist who has agreed to provide support in a consultancy capacity.

激光的特性在眼科中得到了广泛应用。外科手术的例子包括玻璃体切除过程中的后部凝固，这得益于光纤激光光束传输(与不那么精确的电子手术相反)，以及用于角膜瓣切割的飞秒红外线，它消除了与手动切开相关的角膜撕裂的风险。例如，在诊断学中，激光可以光学探测上皮内带有荧光标记的生物标记物，以检测医学异常，如老年性黄斑变性。这样做的一个局限性是，每个生物标志物都有一个特定的光吸收波长，因此需要几个波长来探测多个荧光团。一种解决方案是使用可调谐激光。作为一名毕业生，我在工业界的头三年是在研究可调谐的固态钛宝石激光器。然而，由于其成本、大小和重量，这在临床环境中是不切实际的。在过去的三年里，我从事过白内障超声乳化、玻璃体视网膜和屈光系统方面的工作，激光在这些领域得到了广泛应用。我亲眼目睹了前面描述的程序，并亲眼目睹了对紧凑、可操纵和可靠设备的需求。这些功能只是部分实现，许多眼科用具仍然笨重，由于技术限制，需要多个系统完成单个程序的不同步骤。液晶激光可以提供这些限制的解决方案。这项新开发的技术利用液晶纳米结构的自组装特性来创建10微米厚的空腔。当掺杂多种有机染料时，在450 nm-850 nm的可见光范围内实现了高效和可定制的发射。窄线宽液晶激光器的简单、紧凑和可调谐的特性，再加上生产成本低，有可能开发成独立的诊断设备或集成到现有的诊断设备中。在临床环境中，这种设备的多功能性将比实现同样结果所需的更大、更昂贵的产品具有极大的优势。液晶激光的开发是我未来的主管菲利普·汉兹博士的重点，我曾与他会面并详细讨论了这个项目。PHD拥有广泛的研究范围，包括但不限于：测试不同的化学掺杂剂；不同的微制造技术；优化腔体设计；提高光束质量；将液晶激光器与现有诊断设备集成，和/或为独立设备设计定制的外壳，以便在治疗室环境中进行试验。开发液晶激光技术的项目将受益于汉兹博士的专业知识和爱丁堡大学提供的广泛资源。我将非常感激有机会重返大学，并将我对光子学和眼科学的热情与提高眼科疾病诊断的目标结合起来。我相信，我所获得的经验、知识和技能将为这个项目带来独特和相关的技能。汉兹博士目前正在与Optos谈判合作事宜，意在为该项目获得行业赞助。他还与一位眼科医生建立了临床合作伙伴关系，这位眼科医生同意以顾问的身份提供支持。