THE UCL BIOMEDICAL OPTICS RESEARCH LABORATORY: CROSS DISCIPLINARY FEASIBILITY ACCOUNT

将进行以下研究活动：1。利用声光效应聆听被动脑声我们建议研究一种新的诊断工具，该工具基于被动光学检测由于血流异常而由大脑发出的声波。这可以用来检测异常，如脑肿瘤、脑动脉阻塞（狭窄）和动脉瘤。如果成功，它可以扩展到对身体其他部位发出的声音的研究，例如肌肉骨骼系统、心脏和肺部。光声成像是一种基于检测激光产生的超声波的新型医学成像方法。提出了一种将待成像物体置于声腔内的成像方法。通过探测腔体周围的混响声，只需一个探测器就可以重建图像，从而大大降低了光声成像仪器的成本和复杂性。一个关键的方面也将是探索使用这些空腔作为类似物，以帮助理解量子动力学、雷达和电信中的其他混响或多径系统。利用原子力显微镜的纳米尺度光声成像将研究一种提供具有纳米尺度空间分辨率的生物样品和其他材料的三维图像的新技术。这涉及到使用原子力显微镜来检测由吸收极短激光脉冲产生的高频超声波引起的表面位移。这种方法可以为研究生物样本（如单个细胞、细胞器或大分子蛋白）提供有力的工具，并有助于新药的开发。它也可以用于材料科学，例如，表征半导体材料，以帮助开发新的电子设备本文将探讨利用近红外激光诱导声速变化来检测乳腺癌的一种新的医学成像方式的可行性。通过提供光学吸收的3D图像，这为增强诊断能力提供了前景，使其成为检测乳腺癌和监测治疗的更有效工具。预计还将出现在血管医学和新生儿护理方面的应用，并且该技术的某些方面，如图像重建方法，预计将与工业火焰诊断等非医疗应用相关。热致变色造影剂在生物组织温度成像中的应用探讨了利用热致变色颜料作为造影剂在厚的生物组织样品中生成温度分布图像的可行性。这类颜料根据温度改变其光学吸收特性，这可以使用各种光学方法，如光学层析成像和光声成像来检测。这项技术可以作为一种工具来优化治疗方法的治疗参数，如激光手术、放射治疗和光动力癌症治疗。6. 我们建议将临床光学光谱学和成像技术扩展到古代文献的分析，如重写本，通过删除底层文本使其对人眼不可见而被重复使用的文献。我们提出的技术，使用多波长照明和光谱图像分析，提供了增加对比度的前景，允许文本被破译。其他应用领域包括文件分析、艺术品修复和伪造检测。

The following research activities will be undertaken:1. Listening to passive brain sound using the acousto-optic effectWe propose investigating a new diagnostic tool based upon the passive optical detection of sound waves emitted by the brain due to abnormal blood flow. This could be used to detect abnormalities such as brain tumours, blockages in a cerebral artery (stenosis) and aneurysms. If successful, it could be extended to the study of sounds emitted elsewhere in the body, for example in the muscoskeletal system, heart and lungs.2. Photoacoustic cavities as an analogue for chaotic quantum systems, radar and communication systemsPhotoacoustic imaging is a new medical imaging method based upon the detection of laser generated ultrasound waves. A new approach in which the object to be imaged is enclosed within an acoustic cavity is proposed. By detecting the sound reverberating around the cavity an image can be reconstructed using just single detector thus dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of photoacoustic imaging instruments. A critical aspect will also be the exploration of the use of such cavities as analogues to help understand other reverberant or multipath systems in quantum dynamics, radar and telecommunications.3. Nanoscale photoacoustic imaging using an atomic force microscopeA novel technique for providing 3D images of biological samples and other materials with nanoscale spatial resolution will be investigated. This involves using an atomic force microscope to detect the surface displacements induced by high frequency ultrasound waves generated by the absorption of very short laser pulses. This approach could provide a powerful tool for studying biological samples such as individual cells, organelles or large protein molecules and aid the development of new drugs. It could also be used in materials science for example to characterise semiconductor materials to aid the development of new electronic devices.4 Imaging breast cancer using laser-induced sound speed tomographyThe feasibility of a new medical imaging modality for detecting breast cancer based upon inducing sound speed variations using near-infrared laser light will be explored. This offers the prospect of enhanced diagnostic capability by providing 3D images of optical absorption making it a more effective tool both for the detection of breast cancer and monitoring treatment. Applications in vascular medicine and neonatal care are also expected to emerge and aspects of the technique, such as the image reconstruction methods, are expected to be of relevance to non medical applications such as industrial flame diagnostics.5. Thermochromic contrast agents for imaging temperature in biological tissueThe feasibility of generating images of temperature distribution in thick samples of biological tissue using thermochromic pigments as contrast agents will be explored. Such pigments change their optical absorption characteristics depending on temperature and this can be detected using a variety of optical methods such optical tomography and photoacoustic imaging. This technique could then be used as a tool to optimise the treatment parameters of therapies such as laser surgery, radiotherapy, and photodynamic cancer therapy. 6. Uncovering ancients texts using multispectral optical imaging techniquesWe propose to extend techniques developed in clinical optical spectroscopy and imaging to the analysis of ancient documents such as palimpsests, documents that have been reused by removing the underlying text rendering it invisible to the human eye. The techniques we propose, using multiwavelength illumination and a spectroscopic image analysis, offer the prospect of increasing contrast allowing the text to be deciphered. Other areas of application include document analysis, art restoration and forgery detection.