This Career Development Plan focuses on developing a new-generation scanning endoscope that has all the major functions of a conventional scanning microscope yet is sufficiently small for imaging internal organs, with a long-term focus on early disease detection, particularly early cancer detection. In addition to clinical applications, the device may also be a valuable tool for basic biomedical research, particularly for those involving serial in vivo animal model studies.
The primary objective of the research plan is to develop a miniature, forward-looking, multi-modality optical imaging device that can be delivered endoscopically for examining internal organs at or near cellular resolution. The endoscope can be used with optical coherence tomography (OCT), confocal microscopy and potentially multiphoton (fluorescence) microscopy (MPM), to perform non-invasive "optical biopsy." The year-by-year specific plans are to: (1) develop the essential components for a scanning endoscope, including a miniature fiber-optic beam scanner and high performance achromatic micro optics; (2) explore a novel real-time focus-tracking mechanism using an ultrasonic micromotor; (3) develop a new beam-scanning scheme that enables real-time ultrahigh resolution OCT imaging with an ultra broadband light source, and study real-time en face confocal imaging with the miniature scanning endoscope; (4) investigate the feasibility of the scanning endoscope for assessing cancerous changes using a carcinogenesis animal model; and (5) further miniaturize the scanning endoscope to interface with conventional surface tissue endoscopes, and explore the feasibility of the scanning endoscope for MPM imaging. In addition to clinical applications, the proposed device can also be a valuable tool for basic biomedical research, particularly for those involving serial in vivo animal model studies.
The central aim of the education plan is to create a strong biomedical imaging and biophotonics research and education program, which vertically integrates physics, engineering and clinical diagnosis applications. The plan involves developing graduate and undergraduate courses and engaging students (particularly, undergraduate students) in the investigator's research program, thus providing students with the rigorous training necessary to bridge basic biomedical engineering research and clinical applications.
