Handheld wide-view 3D eye scanner to find tiny retinoblastoma tumors
Official title: Panretinal Circular Ranging OCT for Retinoblastoma
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11116888 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is building a new handheld 3D eye scanner intended to help find very small retinoblastoma tumors early in young children who need screening.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $199,725 |
| NIH project number | 5R21EY035816-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11116888 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Young children undergoing retinoblastoma screening—especially those with a family history or other risk factors—and who will be sedated for their eye exam are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children not having sedated screening exams, adults, or people with unrelated eye conditions are unlikely to benefit from this imaging pilot.
What this research studies
If my child is at risk for retinoblastoma, this project would develop a handheld 3D eye scanner that aims to image the whole retina using advanced OCT with circular-ranging and fast laser technology. The team will build a prototype device and then take pilot images during sedated eye exams that my child would already be having for screening. The scans are meant to show sub-millimeter tumors and give detailed 3-D views across the retina to track small changes. Results will guide whether the device can be improved and used more broadly for earlier detection and monitoring.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable earlier detection of tiny retinoblastoma tumors and better monitoring of treatment response than ophthalmoscopy alone.
How similar studies have gone: Handheld OCT has been used in retinoblastoma before but was limited by imaging range and speed, so this approach combines newer circular-ranging and fast-laser methods and is promising but relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jian, Yifan — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Jian, Yifan
Related research
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Parent-of-Origin Effects in Retinoblastoma: Epigenetic Drivers of Tumor Risk and Progression
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How early retinal changes lead to retinoblastoma
This project looks at how early abnormal cells in the retina form and later turn into retinoblastoma in children, using lab-grown retinal tissue.
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A tiny eye-fluid test to predict and track retinoblastoma in young children
This project uses a very small sample of eye fluid to look for tumor DNA that could help predict how retinoblastoma will behave and to follow treatment in children.
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.