FLIm - OCT | Marcu Laboratory

FLIm and OCT — White light image (top left) and 390-nm intensity weighted fluorescence lifetime image (bottom left) of a coronary artery section. The FLIm image was acquired with a total of 400 × 215 pixels. The black dashed line indicates the location of data shown right. Scale bars 2 mm. Areas of increased 390-nm lifetime correspond to a proteoglycan-rich healed thrombus region.
Adapted from B. E. Sherlock et al Opt Lett 42, 3753-3756 (2017)

The complexity of the optical tissue response makes it challenging for a single imaging modality to accurately characterize tissue structure and function. Multimodal imaging platforms that combine two or more modalities in a single apparatus aim to leverage the strengths of complementary imaging techniques to sample a larger cross section of the optical tissue response.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an interferometric technique that acquires depth-resolved images of a sample microstructure. A combined FLIm and OCT platform can be used to acquire an orthogonal dataset that reports both tissue structure and function. Combination of FLIm and OCT is also advantageous because it can be performed via a single double-clad fiber, leading to simple, low profile imaging devices.

Our group published the first implementation of FLIm and OCT using a single fiber optic and is currently developing catheter-based intraluminal FLIm-OCT devices for with applications in Cardiovascular imaging and Tissue engineering.