This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The main goal of this project is to develop a robust method of non-linear microscopy of human skin imaging. This will include the excitation/emission parameters optimization, depth of imaging improvement (i.e. optical clearing of skin, objective-detector sensitivity) and motion artifacts prevention. The imaging goals are two-fold. First, the more cellular topical skin layers (stratum corneum and epidermis that form fist 50-75 ?m of skin) are bearing the main brunt of skin carcinogenesis: melanocytes are localized within the basal epidermal layer, epidermis is responsible for basal and squamous cell carcinoma as well as benign lesions (actinic keratosis, sebhorreic keratosis, etc) genesis. This is a first barrier protecting the body from environmental factors such as microorganisms, moisture, UV, etc. The underlaying dermis (2-4 mm thickness depending on the body part) bulk is made of connective tissue, a ECM of elastic and collagen fibers, cellular component of which is responsible for wound healing and immune response among others. Human skin reflects age, gender, race, health status. Imaging skin with microscopic resolution and spectral selectivity can provide a powerful tool in understanding important biological and biomechanical processes of wound healing, carcinogenesis, aging, and environmental response.
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