Adaptive wide-field retinal blood vessel imaging
Auto-sensing, instantaneous adaptive ranging OCT
['FUNDING_R21'] · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · NIH-11248327
This project creates a faster, adaptive OCT camera that captures deeper, wider pictures of retinal blood vessels for people with conditions like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R21'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (BOSTON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11248327 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Current OCT angiography (OCTA) gives very detailed pictures of retinal blood vessels but cannot image far into the peripheral retina. The team will build a new adaptive-ranging OCTA system using fast, chip-based photonics (thin-film lithium niobate) to create a rapidly tunable optical delay line that greatly expands imaging depth range. In the first aim they will develop the high-speed instrumentation; in the second aim they will use the system to acquire ultrawide-field retinal angiograms in human volunteers or patients. The study will compare the new images to current OCTA performance to show feasibility and imaging improvements.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with retinal vascular conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, age-related macular degeneration, or glaucoma who can undergo noninvasive retinal imaging.
Not a fit: Patients who cannot have clear retinal images (for example due to dense cataract, severe corneal opacity, or inability to sit for imaging) or whose condition is unrelated to retinal blood vessels may not benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this technology could let clinicians see peripheral retinal blood vessels that are currently hard to image, improving diagnosis and monitoring of retinal vascular disease.
How similar studies have performed: Standard OCTA is already useful and some wide-field OCTA work exists, but using adaptive ranging with thin-film lithium niobate integrated photonics is a novel approach that has not yet been widely proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
BOSTON, UNITED STATES
- MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL — BOSTON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: VAKOC, BENJAMIN JAMES — MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- Study coordinator: VAKOC, BENJAMIN JAMES
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.