Deformable Mirror for Adaptive Optics OCT

光学方法可以成像生物组织的结构和血流，并在体内非侵入性地探测其正常/异常功能，具有细胞水平的分辨率，可用于临床实时、非接触式光学(虚拟)活检。因此，它们有可能彻底改变早期诊断，并有助于许多疾病的治疗(手术和非手术)，从潜在的致盲神经变性视网膜疾病到各种类型的癌症。光学相干层析成像(OCT)是一种能够对生物组织的细胞结构、血流和生理功能进行实时、非侵入性成像的成像手段。然而，OCT图像会受到离焦、像散、色差等光学像差的影响，导致图像失真和模糊。自适应光学(AO)可以测量波前像差，并对检测到的光束进行校正，从而生成高分辨率、无像差的成像对象图像。AO可以与OCT等其他光学成像方式相结合，以提高其面部空间分辨率。最近，我们的研究小组建立了一个线扫描-OCT(LS-OCT)系统，该系统使用超高速相机，可以以5000fps或更高的成像速率获取生物组织的体积图像，同时提供~2微米的细胞级分辨率。在这里，我们建议在LS-OCT系统上升级一个声光臂，以校正LS-OCT图像中的像差。为了升级LS-OCT系统，我们需要资金购买两个组件：用于校正OCT成像光束中的像差的可变形反射镜；以及一个宽带光源，以取代用于为LS-OCT供电的激光器，该激光器最近出现故障，无法修复。从事这项研究的学生将从通过开发新的AO-LS-OCT系统及其提供的能力而变得更具竞争力的研究中受益。这将使他们的工作能够发表在高影响因子的期刊上，如《自然生物光子学》和《光科学与应用》。

Optical methods that can image the structure and blood flow of biological tissue and probe its normal / abnormal function in-vivo, non-invasively and with cellular-level resolution, can be used clinically for real-time, non-contact optical (virtual) biopsy. As such, they have the potential to revolutionize the early diagnostics and to aid the treatment (surgical and non-surgical) of many diseases, from potentially blinding neurodegenerative retinal diseases to various types of cancer. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an imaging modality that can image in-vivo, non-invasively and simultaneously the cellular structure, blood flow and physiological function of biological tissue. However, the OCT images suffer from optical aberrations such as defocus, astigmatism and chromatic aberrations, which cause image distortions and blur. Adaptive Optics (AO) can measure the wavefront aberrations and correct for them in the detected optical beam, thus generating high resolution, aberrations-free images of the imaged object. AO can be combined with other optical imaging modalities such as OCT, to improve their enaface spatial resolution. Recently, our research group has built a Line-Scan-OCT (LS-OCT) system that utilizes an ultrahigh speed camera and can acquire volumetric images of biological tissue at imaging rates of 5,000 fps or higher, while providing cellular level resolution of ~ 2 µm. Here, we propose to upgrade the LS-OCT system with an AO arm, to allow for correcting of aberrations in the LS-OCT images. To upgrade the LS-OCT system we require funds to purchase 2 components: a deformable mirror for correcting the aberrations in the OCT imaging beam; and a broad bandwidth light source to replace the laser that was used to power the LS-OCT and which recently broke down and is beyond repair. Students working on this research will benefit from research that is made more competitive through the development of the new AO-LS-OCT system and the capabilities it will provide. It will enable their work to be published in high-impact factor journals such as "Nature Biophotonics" and Light Science and Applications".