Ultrafast fibre­-based devices for biomedical applications

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The overarching research objective is to bring nonlinear imaging and sensing closer to the bedside by conceiving all-fiber, ultrafast, high-sensitivity platforms targeted at biomedical applications. This proposal seeks to further our understanding of light propagation in fiber media at high intensities, and translate that understanding into tangible outcomes in the form of novel all-fiber platforms. The proposal comprises of three inter-related themes: ultrafast sources, nonlinear microscopy/endoscopy and biosensors. Theme 1: Novel ultrafast fiber lasers: The objective of Theme 1 is to investigate methods to increase energy, reduce noise and enhance stability of an all-fiber femtosecond laser, such that it may serve as a suitable source within bioimaging (Theme 2) and biosensing (Theme 3) platforms. A successful outcome of this theme is the realization of a self-starting all-fiber femtosecond fiber laser that delivers high power, generates low noise, and is stable enough for multimodal microscopy and endoscopy. Such an outcome would be a significant step towards enabling bedside imaging and diagnostic applications. Theme 2: Fiber-based Fast Broadband Coherent Raman Scattering (CRS) bioimaging: The ultimate objective of Theme 2 is to enable fast in-vivo spectroscopic imaging of thick tissue in the fingerprint region by using an all-fiber configuration to maximize the signal of the stimulating sources and minimize system noise. This can open the door for spectral imaging of fast events such as flowing tumor cells and in-vivo monitoring of drug diffusion through tissue. Theme 3: Hollow Core Photonic Crystal fiber for Sensing: The objective of Theme 3 is to a) further investigate the use of our Hollow core photonic crystal fiber biosensing platform for fast and early detection of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A better understanding of the ovarian function and PCOS would facilitate the development of new treatment strategies for this complex syndrome. Our SERS-HCPCF platform can be extended to detect a number of other diseases including early bacterial infections, which is critical to fragile patients, e.g. the elderly, burn victims, and chemotherapy patients, when timely intervention is of the utmost essence and b) explore a novel biosensing platform based on nonlinear spectroscopy in HC-PCF. This would enable us to study two-photon induced photochemistry processes, which until now was limited due to difficulty in detecting photochemical events at a small excitation volume. This can open the door to study photochemical mechanism and products for a number of photoactive drugs, e.g. 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). .