SBIR Phase I: Ultrathin endomicroscope

Modendo Inc., Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to empower brain scientists with a high-resolution optical imaging instrument to reach currently inaccessible regions of the brain with minimal damage. The instrument contains thin fiber optics probes that enable access to very narrow cavities within the body or penetration of tissue. Deep brain imaging, photo-stimulation, and photo-ablation are possible applications, all of which could help understand brain function and potentially unlock treatments for brain diseases. The imaging instrument to be developed in this project may be amenable to scientific studies in animal models, addressing the need of neuroscientists and imaging facilities. The proposed technology could bring about innovations in biophotonics instrumentation as well as in the ensuing biomedical applications. The project seeks to advance novel imaging technologies with broad applicability addressing a new segment in the endoscopy market. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses a critical need in scientific brain imaging studies for endoscopes that are minimally invasive with a diameter in the order of 100 microns, which represents a cross-area about 10 times smaller than the thinnest existing endoscopes. While current endoscopes are appropriate for insertion in large cavities, their size produces excessive damage in brain imaging applications. The objective is to develop a new class of fundamentally less invasive techniques to investigate novel imaging probes, and to validate a prototype instrument in animal models. It is anticipated that in-vivo imaging of neurons with subcellular resolution at depth will become routine with minimal tissue damage. This novel imaging approach implements wavefront shaping in multimode fibers, using advanced machine learning and signal processing methods, to generate arbitrary digitally-reprogrammable light patterns and 3D images. The ultrathin endomicroscope (UTE) uses a spatial light modulator to first calibrate the fiber and then scan light at high speed, compensating for the inherent modal dispersion and intermodal coupling. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.