Handheld wide-view 3D eye scanner to find tiny retinoblastoma tumors
Panretinal Circular Ranging OCT for Retinoblastoma
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 ID | NIH-11116888 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: Children not having sedated screening exams, adults, or people with unrelated eye conditions are unlikely to benefit from this imaging pilot.
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 performed: 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
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jian, Yifan — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Jian, Yifan
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.