SBIR-STTR Award

The long term objective of this project is to provide an instrumentation for diagnosing and quantification of the retinal changes associated with age-related macular degeneration (ARM) and age related maculopathy (AMD). The approach employed here is to integrate a multiply scattered light imaging mechanism into a confocal imaging system to obtain qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of subretinal structures and their changes. The system to be developed will be based on a Topographic Scanning System TopSSTM (Laser Diagnostic Technologies, Inc.). Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser Arrays (VCSELs) will be implemented to provide an illumination source for both confocal imaging mode and multiply scattered light imaging mode. Phase I work of this project will start with hardware modifications of the existing TopSSTM system to implement the multiply scattered light imaging mode; clinical studies will then be carried out to test the feasibility of diagnosing subretinal changes associated with ARM and AMD using the modified TopSSTM system; software for measurement of the 3-dimensional subretinal structure and quantification of their changes will also be developed.Proposed Commercial Application:Not avaliable

Thesaurus Terms:
aging, biomedical equipment development, clinical biomedical equipment, early diagnosis, eye disorder diagnosis, light scattering, macular degeneration, retina disorder, tomography anatomy, computer program /software, diagnosis design /evaluation, image enhancement, macular drusen clinical research, human subject, laserNATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

The long term objective of this project is to provide novel imaging instrumentation for rapid, noninvasive, and frequent measurements of retinal and subretinal changes associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and age-related maculopathy (ARM). Current treatments depend upon early detection. Conventional methods either fail to provide clear-cut detection and localization, or are invasive and costly. The approach here is to integrate a multiply scattered light tomograph (MSLT) into a confocal imaging system to obtain qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of ARM and AMD. During Phase I, a prototype MSLT system was developed based on Topographic Scanning System TopSS (Laser Diagnostic Technologies, Inc.), using a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser Arrays (VCSELs) as the illumination source for both confocal imaging and multiply scattered light imaging. Clinical feasibility studies were carried out. Image acquisition software and preliminary analysis software were developed. In Phase II, we will develop a product version TopSS/MSLT system. New illumination sources will be explored to study light-tissue interactions under conditions not tested in Phase I. Extensive clinical studies will be performed at multiple sites. The software analysis tools will be developed and integrated into the MSLT instrument to measure 3-dimensional subretinal structures and their changes over time. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: With the added capability of Multiply Scattered Light Tomography and its application to the detection of AMD and other retinal disease, the market for the Topographic Scanning System would vastly expend. Once we successfully implemented an automated procedure to image and quantify dmsen that leads to an early detection of AMD, an even wider use by general ophthalmologists and optometrists seems possible.

Thesaurus Terms:
aging, biomedical equipment development, clinical biomedical equipment, diagnosis design /evaluation, early diagnosis, eye disorder diagnosis, macular degeneration, tomography computer program /software, image enhancement, light scattering, nephelometry, noninvasive diagnosis, retina circulation, retina disorder ioimaging /biomedical imaging, clinical research, human subject, laser