This Phase I Small Business Innovation Research application proposes to develop a key enabling technology for a new generation of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) systems, which would have immediate applicability to cancer imaging. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging technique which provides microscopic tomographic sectioning of biological samples, which is under investigation in several ongoing trials for minimally invasive early detection and characterization of gastrointestinal and urogential cancers. A new generation of OCT imagers based upon spectral interferometry (rather than scanning interferometry) has been demonstrated in initial tests to offer superior signal-to-noise and robustness compared to the current generation technology. However, the lack of a broadband light source capable of rapid wavelength sweeping has hampered development of swept-source OCT (SSOCT), one of the most promising implementations of spectral interferometry. In this application, Micron Optics, Inc. proposes to adapt its proprietary swept-source laser technology based on fiber Fabry-Perot tunable filters for use in SSOCT systems. Micron Optics will collaborate with subcontractor Duke University, a leader in OCT system technology and applications, to construct a prototype SS-OCT system based on the new light source and to test its performance and promise for cancer imaging.
