Polarimetric Accessory for Colposcope

In medical diagnostic procedures for examining the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva, long working-distance (-30 cm) lighted binocular microscopes (colposcope) that provide up to 25x optical magnification are used to create an illuminated magnified view. Speculum dilations can give rise to specular reflections from the tissue surface, causing physicians to overlook possible abnormalities – thus decreasing the quality of a colposcopy. 

Device for Simulating Explosive Blast and Imaging Biological Specimens

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem.  Between 3.2 and 5.3 million people live with long-term disabilities resulting from TBI, and thus, contribute to the need to develop therapies that treat TBI-induced cellular damage. Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed a device that simulates the pressure waves resulting from explosions.

Isotropic Generalized Diffusion Tensor MRI

Scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed a method implemented as pulse sequences and software to be used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners and systems. This technology is available for licensing and commercial development. The method allows for measuring and mapping features of the bulk or average apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water in tissue – aiding in stroke diagnosis and cancer therapy assessment.

Resolution Doubling with Digital Confocal Microscopy

This technology includes a microscopy method that reduces the speed penalty at least 1000-fold, while retaining resolution improvement. A Digital mirror device (DMD) or sweptfield confocal unit is used to create hundreds to thousands of excitation foci that are imaged to a sample mounted in a conventional microscope and record the resulting emissions on an array detector. Detection of each confocal spot is done in our proprietary software, as is the processing and deconvolution that is used for a 2x resolution enhancement.

Magnetic Resonance Arterial Wall Imaging Methods that Compensate for Patient Aperiodic Intrinsic Cardiac, Chest Wall, and Blood Flow-Induced Motions

The technology includes MRI methods, systems, and software for reliably imaging vasculature and vascular wall thickness while compensating for aperiodic intrinsic motion of a patient during respiration. To overcome the loss of the orthogonality due to uncompensated residual motions and after a lapse of time equal to the trigger delay commenced at the cardiac cycle, the system acquires multiple consecutive time-resolved images of the arterial wall. The cine images are processed offline and a wall thickness measurement is produced.

Vascularized Thyroid-on-a-Chip for Personalized Drug Screening and Disease Modeling

This technology includes a micro-engineered “thyroid-on-a-chip” that combines human thyroid organoids with integrated micro-vasculature to replicate the gland’s native blood flow and 3-D architecture, enabling rapid, patient-specific drug screening. By permitting real-time perfusion of nutrients, hormones, and immune cells, the platform yields more physiologically relevant data than conventional static cultures or animal surrogates.

A Novel Optomechanical Module that Enables a Conventional inverted Microscope to Provide Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy (iSPIM)

The invention describes an optomechanical module that, when engaged with a conventional inverted microscope, provides selective plane illumination microscopy (iSPIM). The module is coupled to the translational base of the microscope whereby a SPIM excitation objective is engaged to one portion of the mount body, and a SPIM detection objective (having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to that of the excitation objective) is engaged to another portion of the mount body.

Fast Acting Molecular Probes for Real-Time In Vivo Study of Disease and Therapeutics

This technology is for fast acting molecular probes made from a fluorescent quencher molecule, a fluorophore, an enzyme cleavable oligopeptide (for example targeted by protease) and FDA-approved polyethylene glycol (PEG) as well as associated methods to identify cell activity with these probes. Proteases regulate many cell processes such as inflammation as well as pathological processes in cancer and cardiovascular disease. High protease activity is associated with metastatic cancers. Proteases are also active in apoptosis, and tissue remodeling in cardiovascular disease.

Resolution Enhancement for Light Sheet Microscopy Systems

The invention pertains to a technique for enhancing the resolution of images in light sheet microscopy by adding additional enhanced depth-of-focus optical arrangements and high numerical aperture objective lenses. The technique employs an arrangement of three objective lenses and a processor for combining captured images. The image composition utilizes the greater resolving power of the third high numerical aperture objective lens by imaging the light sheet and enhanced depth-of-focus arrangement resulting in improved overall resolution of the light sheet system.