Surgeries of the heart, spine, and brain are currently performed with some degree of uncertainty about patient-specific subsurface anatomy. For example, the surgeon must rely on knowledge and experience to avoid critical nerves and blood vessels that, if injured, will cause patient death or lifelong paralysis. The proposed work will set the technical and theoretical foundations for rapid development and deployment of a new class of photoacoustic imaging systems that overcome this existing limitation of modern surgeries. Specifically, we will address challenges with defining three fundamental limits to photoacoustic-guided surgery: (1) laser safety limits for light delivery as close to the surgical site as possible, (2) image quality limits derived from coherence-based beamforming theory, and (3) resolution limits when integrating photoacoustic imaging systems with robots for minimally invasive surgical access. Three core pillars of the associated education plan (videos, live demonstrations, and mentorship) synergistically fuse the proposed research with educational goals. Outreach to K-12 classroom-based and home-schooled children includes hands-on research demonstrations, online course videos, and the development of a neighbor-like video series entitled "The Scholar Next Door'', featuring the Principal Investigator (PI) and her research team to inspire young women and other underrepresented minorities like the PI. In partnership with the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Center for Educational Outreach (CEO), new biomedical engineering course material will be developed in an online video format to enhance the CEO's existing Engineering FUNdamentals Program. For advanced students and trainees, new course material and classroom demonstrations will be developed to build upon the foundations established by this research. The PI has a strong history of commitment to one-on-one mentoring of women and underrepresented minority scholars, and she will continue to maintain this commitment throughout her career.
The research objective of this CAREER proposal is to apply optical analyses, spatial coherence theory, and independent resolution models to describe fundamental performance limits of photoacoustic-based navigation during surgery. This objective will be achieved with three research aims. First (Aim 1), the currently nonexistent limits of light delivery to bone, heart, and brain tissues will be defined, based on the combined results of theoretical analyses and experimentation. Second (Aim 2), novel acoustic beamformers and signal processing methods will be refined and validated to describe the image quality limits of photoacoustic-based spatial coherence beamforming theory. Third (Aim 3), a new combined resolution model will be explored to predict the accuracy limits of integrated robotic-photoacoustic imaging systems using the da Vinci robot as an initial testbed. The new knowledge generated by this research will support research in other areas of optical, acoustic, and robot-assisted medical imaging. Results will be shared with the general public through "The Scholar Next Door" video series and with the scientific community through conference presentations and journal publications. As an African American female professor, the PI has benefited from outreach programs throughout her career, and she is devoted to diversity efforts at the K-12, collegiate, and graduate levels. She will assist with the diversity efforts of the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Whiting School of Engineering (WSE), such as recruitment of graduate students at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) national convention and serving as faculty advisor to the Graduate Association [of women] in CS & ECE (GRACE). She will partner with the JHU Center for Educational Outreach (CEO) to create the first video in "The Scholar Next Door" series and to contribute new biomedical engineering course material in an online video format to their existing Engineering FUNdamentals Program. She will also mentor a laboratory team that enhances diversity in her department and throughout the entire WSE.
