Medical Design Briefs - March 2023 - 38

spectroscopy, diagnostics, hyperspectral
imaging, and medical research.
The company's photoacoustic technology
is now being utilized in a wide
range of medical research projects.
" We have two OPOTEK lasers -
one located in my lab on the primary
engineering campus of Johns Hopkins
University, and one located in
my lab space at the Johns Hopkins
Hospital, " says Dr. Muyinatu Bell,
an assistant professor and director
of the Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic
Systems Engineering (PULSE) Lab at
Johns Hopkins University.
The PULSE lab is developing the
next generation of photoacoustic imaging
systems using a combination of
optics, acoustics, and robotics.
" In the PULSE Lab, we aim to
understand fundamental design requirements
for photoacoustic imaging
systems that can be used to guide
surgeries, as well as augment the vision
capabilities of robotic surgical
systems, " says Dr. Bell.
The structures of interest in her
research include major blood vessels
that are hidden by tissue and
need to be avoided during surgery,
as well as the metal tips of surgical
tools. Major blood vessels and tool
tips both generate strong photoacoustic
signals in comparison to surrounding
tissue and can be used to provide
surgeons with the information needed
to avoid accidental injury, which can
lead to excessive bleeding and potentially
patient death.
Although still in the research phase,
Dr. Bell required a mobile unit to transport
the imaging equipment from her
lab to operating rooms in the hospital.
" Although we do not make laser transportation
trips between campuses, we
specifically have the Phocus Mobile for
the express purpose of transporting the
laser and photoacoustic imaging setup
from my lab in the hospital to any operating
room in the hospital, where we
commonly perform our in vivo experiments, "
says Dr. Bell.
The Phocus Mobile from OPOTEK is
an ideal light source for photoacoustic
imaging applications that require high
pulse energies and NIR wavelengths for
deep penetration of biological tissue.
As early as 2008, the company began to
transition from immovable, benchtop
OPOs to a mobile form factor.
38
trical signals of the heart. Identifying
problem lesions that are likely
to rupture would improve medical
outcomes.
Dr. Raiyan Zaman, an assistant professor
in the department of radiology
at Harvard Medical School and an
assistant investigator at the Gordon
Center for Medical Imaging at Massachusetts
General Hospital, has been
developing a novel method to image
CAD plaques using tunable laser light
since she was a postdoctoral fellow
at the Stanford University School of
Medicine.
Circumferential intravascular radioluminescence
photoacoustic imThe
Phocus Mobile from OPOTEK is an ideal light source for photoacoustic
imaging applications that require high pulse energies
and NIR wavelengths for deep penetration of biological tissue.
(Credit: OPOTEK)
Over the past decade, OPOTEK has
introduced additional innovations to
its mobile platform, including fiber
bundle delivery, complete automation
of all system functions, and fast tuning
over the entire wavelength range. The
hands-free tunable laser system provides
a light-sealed, transportable cart
designed for deployment into preclinical
environments.
" This laser is built for mobility without
sacrificing the high energies that we
need to explore the limits of this novel
application of photoacoustic imaging for
surgical guidance, " adds Dr. Bell.
n Fighting Coronary Artery Disease
One area where mobile photoacoustic
imaging has the potential to have
great impact is in diagnosing and treating
coronary artery disease (CAD), a
leading cause of death worldwide. CAD
is often caused by atherosclerosis - a
progressive inflammatory condition in
which deposits of plaque buildup in
the arteries of the heart, often resulting
in heart attack. Early detection of
these plaques is difficult due to their
motion, size, and the obscuring elecwww.medicaldesignbriefs.com
aging
(CIRPI) combines radioluminescence
imaging and photoacoustic
tomography with a new optical probe
to achieve up to 63 times more signal
to noise. Photoacoustic imaging
plays a key role in allowing the analysis
of plaque composition and its
morphology.
" We are trying to minimize the
multiple intravascular imaging procedures
necessary for a patient who
requires intervention for coronary
artery disease. These imaging procedures
are needed for the detection
of stenosis and the evaluation of coronary
arterial wall before intervention.
Our CIRPI system will combine all these
necessary procedures into one imaging
session, " says Dr. Zaman.
Dr. Zaman and her team are currently
in the process of testing their system
in an atherosclerotic animal model followed
by clinical translation studies.
" The OPOTEK laser is a key component
of our CIRPI system for photoacoustic
imaging. This small but powerful
tunable laser is perfect for our
portable imaging system, enabling us to
wheel it to a patient's bedside, " says Dr.
Zaman.
With mobile photoacoustic medical
imaging now readily available for preclinical
and clinical use, researchers at
labs as well as clinicians and patients in
hospital settings can benefit from fast,
extremely detailed imaging capabilities
wherever needed. The technological innovation
will spur further advancements
in medical research as well as help to improve
diagnosis and patient care in clinical
environments.
For more information, phone 760929-0770
or visit www.opotek.com.
Medical Design Briefs, March 2023
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Medical Design Briefs - March 2023

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