Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/N13715/01
Title:	HIGH RESOLUTION OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGING AT CELLULAR LEVEL FOR SOFT BIOLOGICAL TISSUES
Principal Investigator:	Wang, Professor R
Other Investigators:	Smith, Dr V Elder, Professor J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Sch of Medicine
Organisation:	Keele University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 August 2000	Ends:	31 October 2003	Value (£):	200,606
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Lasers & Optics
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Healthcare No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a recently developed and powerful technique than can provide microscopic tomographic sectioning of biological tissues with a resolution at cellular level. This proposal aims to develop an OCT system which will achieve high-resolution imaging of accessible human internal organs, by incorporating well established endoscopic or laparoscopic techniques, to aid diagnosis and staging of oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, biliary and cervical neoplasms. We will first resolve the physics and engineering problems underlying OCT in order to clarify what is the maximum imaging depth and how the imaging contrast differs between the different tissues. The technique will then be applied to record the OCT images through highly scattering media and biological soft tissues in vitro. We intend to establish the ultimate limits of this technology and to define precisely the required specifications of the optimal light source used for the different tissues. We anticipate that these studies will enable us to establish the specifications for construction of an endoscopic OCT system. Since the greatest number of cancers of the reproductive, gastro-intestinal and respiratory tracts are epithelial cancers; it is believed that instruments that permit endoscopic microscopy will impact significantly on the early diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk Summary Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.keele.ac.uk