Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/R52978/01
Title:	A novel approach to improve the imaging depth and contrast for optical coherence tomography of biological tissues
Principal Investigator:	Wang, Professor R
Other Investigators:	Elder, Professor J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Sch of Medicine
Organisation:	Keele University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 November 2001	Ends:	28 February 2002	Value (£):	195,157
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Surfaces & Interfaces
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Healthcare
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
OCT imaging of biological tissues is a field exciting a great deal of interest because its capability of imaging of micro-structures beneath the tissue surface would improve the diagnostic limits of the current technologies, allowing a wide range of clinical problems to be addressed. There are several issues needing to be solved, including resolution, imaging depth arum contrast, bore the clinical effectiveness of OCT can be assessed. Currently, there is no evidence that the imaging depth greater than 2 mm will be possible. This proposal aims to develop an imaging enhancing technique, i.e. chemical administration approach, that can improve the imaging depth and contrast of the current OCT development. We will resolve the physics and engineering problems underlying this approach to clarify likely what are the exact mechanisms for the imaging depth and contrast enhancement after administrating the biocompatible chemical agents directly to biotissues, and to develop theoretical models for assessing how refractive index matching and localised dehydration affect the imaging depth and contrast by the use of Monte Carlo method and particle diffusion approach. We intend to establish the ultimate limits of this technique and to define precisely the required specifications of an optimal system that is suitable for clinical use. It is belied that a technique that could improve the current OCT imaging capabilities would have a significant impact on effective and rapid diagnosis of a wide range of clinical disorders at an early stage.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.keele.ac.uk