Abstract
Florida International University (FIU) inventors created technologies
that allow for functional imaging of the photoreceptors in the retina. The
technologies can be used in the clinical setting to assess the structure and
function of photoreceptors. Specifically, in the diagnosing, disease staging
and follow up of retinal degenerative disorders, such as hereditary retinal
degeneration and age-related age macular regeneration. These technologies will
also be useful to build outcome measurements for clinical trials of these
diseases.The technology relies on an Integrated Parallel
Multi-Channel-Space-Time-Coded Scanning Laser Opthalmoscopy (SLO) that detects
differences in optical absorption in dark and light adapted states, and a
Triple-band Rhodopsin OCT which uses three separate wavelengths within the
rhodopsin absorption spectrum, which obtain all the information required to
calculate and reconstruct a quantitative retinal rhodopsin image with a single
scan of a dark-adapted retina. This functional imaging of photoreceptors in the
retina by rhodopsin mapping represents a viable alternative to existing
technologies used in traditional fundus reflectometry.
Benefit
Allows for accurate and objective measurement of rhodopsin content in live subjects for the assessments of functional photoreceptorsThe technology is capable of providing optical section of the retina in live subjects with the purpose of localizing rhodopsin in the retinal layersProvides both a local topographic rhodopsin map in a retinal B-scan image, and a 3D topographic map of rhodopsin in the retinaThis technology addresses the two major technical issues that current available technologies fail to address: slow scanning speed of the SLO and the influence of absorption by rhodopsin intermediatesScanning speed is dramatically increased, directly reducing the influence of eye movement during imaging, which significantly improves the image quality
Market Application
Applications in ophthalmology clinics, pharmaceutical companies, and research laboratories for the assessment of the global and local functional status of photoreceptors in the retinas of the living subjectsPotential to diagnose retinal degenerative diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosaAssessment of photoreceptor function following retinal detachment repair, for staging retinal degenerative diseases, and to monitor the degenerative processMonitoring photoreceptor loss related to dry age-relatedmacular degenerationMonitoring the visual cycle repair by gene therapy of patients of Leber congenital ameurosis caused by mutations in the RPE65 gene and other ophthalmological genetic illnessesFuture use could include the assessment of functional photoreceptors in photoreceptor regeneration either by external cell implantation, or by re-programming of existing retinal cells.
Brochure
