Ultrahigh speed and resolution OCT/OCM using broadband swept VCSEL technology

描述（由申请人提供）：这项工作的最终目标是开发、验证和商业化一种超宽调谐范围、高扫描速率、扫频激光源成像引擎，该引擎将实现下一代光学相干断层扫描/光学相干显微镜（OCT/OCM）系统。OCT和OCM通过检测背向反射和背向散射光的回波时间延迟，实现组织病理学的3D体内体积成像。OCT和OCM作为癌症成像模式具有强大的优势，因为它们提供真实的组织病理学信息，而不需要像传统的切除活检和组织病理学那样切除和处理标本。OCT的轴向图像分辨率约为5-10 μ m，并且可以在比使用传统夹捏活检可能的更宽的区域上对组织进行成像。在内窥镜OCT中，可以在几平方厘米的管腔上执行成像。OCM具有1-2 μ m的横向分辨率，可以提供细胞水平的3D图像信息。 使用紧凑型VCSEL（垂直腔面发射激光器）的扫频源/傅立叶域OCT/OCM有望实现比现有商业OCT技术显著更高的成像速度。我们建议开发一种扫频源成像引擎，其轴向扫描速率为1 MHz，比商用眼科OCT仪器（25 kHz轴向扫描速率）快约40倍。此外，使用VCSEL技术的扫频源OCT/OCM可以被设计成比笔记本电脑更小的紧凑型成像引擎。为OEM市场开发的高性能OCT/OCM成像引擎将使广泛的成熟和初创医疗公司能够获得该技术。这种开发策略与专注于单一临床应用的商业化形成对比，降低了风险，并将加速该技术在癌症成像广泛临床应用中的发展和影响。 这项提议的努力建立在半导体材料技术和可调谐激光器的进步，由Praevium研究公司开发。在NCI授予4 R44 CA 101067和商业合作伙伴Thorlabs，Inc.后续商业投资中，全球最大的OCT技术研究制造商。这项工作涉及主要组织Praevium Reseach，Inc.商业合作伙伴Thorlabs和马萨诸塞州理工学院的OCT小组，他们负责OCT的发明和开发。 公共卫生相关性：这项工作预计将通过推进一种新的临床工具来影响公众健康，该工具能够对组织病理学进行三维体内体积成像，而不需要像传统的切除活检和组织病理学那样进行组织切除和处理。该工具采用先进的高分辨率、高数据速率光学相干断层扫描（OCT），其测量反射光的后向散射回波，与超声成像测量声音回波的方式相同，但成像分辨率比超声高10-100。该仪器的成像速度是现有商业OCT仪器的40倍，并由一个新的紧凑型快速扫描激光源实现。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop, validate, and commercialize an ultra-broad tuning range, ultrahigh scan rate, swept laser source imaging engine that will enable the next generation of Optical Coherence Tomography / Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCT/OCM) systems. OCT and OCM enable 3D in vivo volumetric imaging of tissue pathology by detecting the echo time delay of back-reflected and backscattered light. OCT and OCM have powerful advantages as a cancer imaging modality because they provide information on tissue pathology in real time, without the need to excise and process specimens as in conventional excisional biopsy and histopathology. OCT has an axial image resolution of ~5-10 um and can image tissue over a much wider area than possible using conventional pinch biopsy. In endoscopic OCT, imaging can be performed over several square centimeters of the lumen. OCM has transverse resolutions of 1-2 um and can provide 3D image information at the cellular level. Swept source / Fourier domain OCT/OCM using compact VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting lasers) promises to enable imaging with significantly higher imaging speeds than existing commercial OCT technology. We propose to develop a swept source imaging engine which achieves an axial scan rate of 1 MHz, ~40x faster than commercial ophthalmic OCT instruments (25 kHz axial scan rate). Furthermore, swept source OCT/OCM using VCSEL technologies can be engineered into a compact imaging engine which is smaller than a laptop computer. The development of a high performance OCT/OCM imaging engine for the OEM market will enable access to the technology by a wide range of both established and start-up medical companies. This development strategy, which contrasts with focusing on commercialization for a single clinical application, reduces risks and will accelerate the development and impact of the technology across a broad range of clinical applications for cancer imaging. This proposed effort builds upon advances in semiconductor materials technology and tunable lasers developed by Praevium Research, Inc. in NCI grant 4R44CA101067 and follow-on commercial investment by commercial partner, Thorlabs, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of research OCT technology. This work involves a collaboration between the primary organization Praevium Reseach, Inc. commercial partner Thorlabs, and the OCT group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was responsible for the invention and development of OCT. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This effort is expected impact public health by advancing a new clinical tool capable of three dimensional in-vivo volumetric imaging of tissue pathology without the need for tissue excision and processing as in conventional excisional biopsy and histopathology. This tool employs advanced high resolution, high data rate optical coherence tomography (OCT), which measures backscattered echoes of reflected light, in the same way that ultrasound imaging measures sound echoes, but with an imaging resolution 10-100 higher than ultrasound. The proposed instrument operates at 40X the imaging speed of existing commercial OCT instruments, and is enabled by a new compact rapidly swept laser source.