A method for fast, sensitive, and quatitaive imaging of blood flow networks

Background:

The ability to quantitatively image three-dimensional blood flow, particularly within micro-circulatory networks like capillaries, is crucial for medical diagnosis but presents significant technical hurdles. A primary challenge lies in achieving high-sensitivity detection of minute blood flows at fast imaging speeds. Existing optical Doppler tomography (ODT) techniques rely on detecting small Doppler phase changes, which are a product of flow rate and imaging duration. Consequently, capturing slow capillary flows quickly results in extremely small phase shifts that are difficult to distinguish from noise. While swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) offers advantages in speed and signal-to-noise ratio, it inherently suffers from high phase noise originating from the swept laser, severely limiting its utility for sensitive flow imaging.

Technology Overview:

Researchers at Stony Brook University developed an optical coherence Doppler tomography (OTD) system designed to image capillary flow with high speed and signal quality. The novel technology enables high-sensitivity minute flow detection while maintaining fast lateral scan rates. Wavelength division multiplexing is integrated into the imaging method to reduce phase noise, particularly in swept-source optical Doppler tomography (SS-ODT), thereby enhancing sensitivity and suppressing background noise for cerebral capillary flow imaging. The system can also optionally incorporate fluorescence imaging to concurrently examine cellular activity.

Advantages:

• Enhanced imaging speed
• Improved signal penetration depth
• Reduced phase noise
• Concurrent cellular activity imaging
• Extended imaging depth

Applications:

• Clinical Diagnostics and Monitoring
• Biomedical Research and Preclinical Studies
• Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Development

Intellectual Property Summary:

Patent application submitted

Stage of Development:

Prototype available

Licensing Status:

Available 

Licensing Potential:

Development partner - Commercial partner - Licensing