Cost-effective MHz rate Optical Coherence Tomography for biomedical applications

描述（由申请人提供）：在这个SBIR一期项目中，我们建议在模型中构建和测试一个创新的具有成本效益的光学相干断层扫描（OCT）系统的原型，与商用系统相比，其采集率提高了10倍。进一步的开发可能会使获取率增加10倍，从而达到100倍。当前的10万次a扫描/秒的OCT系统无法提供无运动的3-D图像，并在允许的成像时间内覆盖目标区域，这推动了生物医学应用中每秒对Mega深度剖面（a扫描）OCT的市场需求。将成像速度提高到MHz速率还可以实现目前不可能实现的功能成像。最后，兆赫的成像速度意味着患者的痛苦更少，更快的检查意味着患者和保险公司的成本更低，这将导致OCT成像在生物医学和临床应用中的广泛接受。有两组研究OCT系统的MHz采集率：一个在德国，一个在日本。这些系统通过MHz速率OCT的显着成像改进显示了其价值，然而，这些研究MHz速率OCT系统目前过于昂贵且不稳定，无法商业化。此外，正在实施的设计没有明确的商业可行性发展轨迹。因此，需要一种新的方法来实现兆赫OCT。我们相信我们的设计方法结合了所需的系统性能和成功商业化的明确途径。该项目的社会效益包括一种具有广泛生物医学、临床和行业影响的新产品的商业化。改善成像能力有很大的潜力来改善我们的生活质量，首先，改善毁灭性疾病的结果，包括失明、癌症、心血管疾病等；其次，通过提高药品质量，涂层质量和微量元素。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During this SBIR Phase I project we propose to build and test in phantoms a prototype of an innovative cost-effective Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system with a 10X increase in acquisition rate compared to commercially available systems. Further development may add an additional 10X increased acquisition rate for a total of 100X. Current market demand for Mega in-depth profiles (A-scans) per second OCT in biomedical applications is driven by the inability of current 100,000 A-scans/second OCT systems to provide motion free 3-D images and to cover target area within allowable imaging times. Increasing imaging speed to MHz rates also enables functional imaging that is not currently possible. Finally, MHz imaging speed means less suffering for patients and faster exams means less cost for both patients and insurance companies that will lead to wider acceptance of the OCT imaging in biomedical and clinical applications. There are research OCT systems with MHz acquisition rates from two groups: one in Germany and one in Japan. These systems have shown the value through dramatic imaging improvements available with MHz rate OCT. However, these research MHz rate OCT systems are currently too expensive and unstable for commercialization. Furthermore, the designs being implemented do not have a clear development trajectory to commercial viability. Therefore a novel approach to MHz OCT is needed. We believe our design approach combines the needed system performance with a clear path to successful commercialization. Social benefits of this project include the commercialization of a new product with broad biomedical, clinical and industry impact. Improved imaging capabilities has a great potential to improve our quality of life by first, improving the outcome of devastating diseases including blindness, cancer, cardiovascular diseases among others; and secondly, by enabling better quality in pharmacy, coating quality and micro-elements.