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.

激光的特性广泛应用于眼科。手术示例包括玻璃体切除术期间的后凝固，其受益于光纤激光束输送（与不太精确的电外科手术相比）和用于角膜瓣切割的飞秒红外光束，其消除了与手动切口相关的角膜撕裂风险。例如，在诊断中，激光可以光学探测上皮内的荧光标记生物标志物，以检测医学异常，如年龄相关性黄斑变性。其局限性在于，每个生物标志物具有特定的光学吸收波长，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器。作为一名研究生，我在工业界的前三年都在研究可调谐固态钛宝石激光器。然而，由于其成本、尺寸和重量，这在临床环境中是不切实际的。在过去的三年里，我在眼科工作，从事白内障超声乳化术、玻璃体视网膜手术和屈光系统的研究，这些都是激光广泛使用的领域。我亲眼目睹了前面描述的程序，亲眼看到了对紧凑、机动和可靠设备的需求。这些功能仅部分实现，许多眼科器械仍然很笨重，并且由于技术限制，需要多个系统来完成单个程序的不同步骤。液晶激光器可以为这些限制提供解决方案。这项新开发的技术利用液晶纳米结构的自组装特性，制造出10微米厚的空腔。当掺杂多种有机染料时，可以在450 nm-850 nm的可见光范围内实现高效和可定制的发射。窄线宽液晶激光器的简单、紧凑和可调特性，加上生产成本低，有可能被开发成独立的诊断设备或集成到现有的诊断设备中。这种装置的多功能性在临床环境中将比实现相同结果所需的更大更昂贵的产品具有很大的优势。液晶激光器的开发是我未来的导师菲利普·汉兹博士的重点，我已经与他会面并详细讨论了这个项目。博士有广阔的研究范围，包括但不限于：测试不同的化学掺杂剂;不同的微加工技术;优化腔体设计;提高光束质量;将液晶激光器与现有的诊断设备集成和/或设计定制的外壳，用于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Hands博士的专业知识和爱丁堡大学提供的广泛资源。我将非常感谢有机会回到大学，并将我对光子学和眼科学的热情与联合收割机结合起来，以提高眼科疾病的诊断水平。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的相关技能。Hands博士目前正在与Optos进行合作谈判，目的是为该项目获得工业赞助。他还与一名眼科医生建立了临床合作伙伴关系，该医生同意以顾问身份提供支持。