Better retinal imaging for oxygen-related vision loss
Advancing visible-light OCT in oxygen-induced retinopathy
This project builds a wide-field visible-light OCT scanner and deep-learning tools to measure retinal blood flow and oxygen for people at risk of retinopathy of prematurity and other oxygen-related retinal diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178701 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will build a new wide-field visible-light OCT device optimized using a rat model of oxygen-induced retinopathy to capture high-resolution images across a large retinal area. They will develop deep-learning algorithms to segment 2D and 3D capillary networks, measure total retinal blood flow, and estimate arterial and venous oxygen saturation. The imaging measures will be compared to traditional tissue markers of damage (nonperfusion and neovascular areas) to link live imaging signals to disease changes. The team aims to create imaging methods that could later be adapted for human patients and clinical studies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The eventual beneficiaries would include premature infants at risk for retinopathy of prematurity and patients with ischemic retinal diseases driven by blood-flow or oxygen problems.
Not a fit: People with retinal conditions that are not related to blood flow or oxygenation, or those needing immediate therapeutic interventions rather than improved imaging, may not receive direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to imaging tools that detect blood-flow and oxygen changes earlier and help guide monitoring and treatment for infants and others with ischemic retinal disease.
How similar studies have performed: Visible-light OCT and oximetry have shown promise in preclinical work, but combining wide-field imaging with end-to-end deep-learning segmentation and quantitative flow/oxygen measures is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jia, Yali — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Jia, Yali
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.