Development of novel light sources to enable non-invasive imaging of cells in 3D tissue constructs and grafts.

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We have developed methods for growing a patient's own skin cells in the laboratory to produce sheets of skin that can be used for skin grafting on patients with extensive burns, and for repairing chronic wounds in diabetic and elderly patients. Although the methods are successful, and are being used clinically, we have no reliable technique for assessing how well the living cells are developing into properly structured skin - all the reliable methods involve killing the cells. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a relatively new method of producing cross-sectional images of living tissue that are comparable to the sections of dead tissue that the histologist examines. The amount of detail that can be seen on the optical coherence tomography images is controlled by the light source. Expensive and complex lasers are needed to produce finely detailed images. We have a great deal of experience in designing and manufacturing very high performance solid state light sources. In this project, we will design and make novel light sources, build them into our existing optical coherence tomography equipment, and test them by comparing OCT images with conventional histological images of dead tissue. The end result will be an optical imaging system that can be used to follow the growth of the live cells in the laboratory, and also to check the behaviour of the cells when the graft has been applied to the patient.