Fiber-Delivered Programmable Supercontinuum Laser Adaptive to EvolvingNeurophotonic Research

光纤传输的可编程超连续谱激光器适应不断发展的神经光子学研究

基本信息

批准号：
9915977
负责人：
Matthew Durack
金额：
$ 43.26万
依托单位：
LIVEBX, LLC
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2019
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2019-04-15 至 2022-03-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9915977
关键词：
Academia Achievement Action Potentials Address Anatomy Animals Area BRAIN initiative Behavioral Research Behavioral Sciences Biomedical Engineering Biophotonics Brain Brain Diseases Brain imaging Businesses Cells Collaborations Communities Coupled Devices Electrophysiology (science)Energy Metabolism Engineering Environment Fiber Formalin Frequencies Generations Genetic Goals Head Histopathology Hospitals Human Image In Vitro Industrialization Intervention Label Laboratories Laboratory Animals Lasers Metabolic Microscope Mus Neurons Neurosciences Neurosurgeon Operating Rooms Operative Surgical Procedures Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures Optics Organoids Outcome Output Pathologist Pathology Performance Phase Phase Transition Phenotype Physiologic pulse Population Pre-Clinical Model Production Research Research Personnel Research Priority Resolution Rodent Scientist Shapes Slice Small Business Innovation Research Grant Source Specialist Structure Surgeon Surgical margins Synapses System Technology Testing Time Tissues Training Translating United States National Institutes of Health Vascularization Veterinarians Work animal facility base brain research brain surgery brain tissue calcium indicator commercialization driving force drug development drug discovery holographic stimulation imaging probe improved in vivo in vivo imaging innovative technologies medical specialties metrology miniaturize multidisciplinary neural circuit neural network operation optogenetics photonics portability pre-clinical prevent programs prototype radiologist real-time images relating to nervous system research and development spatiotemporal therapeutic development tool user-friendly

项目摘要

SUMMARY Neurophotonics, including the prominent example of optogenetics, has been the driving force for brain research and one focal area of the NIH BRAIN Initiative established in 2013. In contrast to the genetic and biophotonic advancements that have transformed this field, the progress in laser source technology underlying these advancements has lagged behind, resulting in three technical barriers that limit the next level of scientific achievement in brain and behavioral sciences: (1) neuroscientists and biophotonic scientists have been limited by readily available commercial lasers that may not be the best solutions for their intended applications, due largely to the lack of full tunability in parameters such as wavelength, power, and temporal profile; (2) the user- unfriendly operation of tunable customer or commercial lasers has hindered the extension of laser source technology beyond non-laser experts and dedicated optical laboratories, and (3) the lack of adaption of installed lasers with free-space beam delivery often render them obsolete when new neuroscience needs and applications emerge. A fiber-deliverable programmable supercontinuum laser, based on systematic preliminary work in an academic laboratory, has potential to simultaneously overcome the three technical barriers. The prototype of this laser has shown promise to be applicable to general neuroscience, including diverse species (small animals, rodents, and humans), states (in vitro/ex vivo, head-fixed, and freely behaving), settings (optical laboratory, animal facility, pathology department, and operating room), operators (laser experts, imaging neuroscientists, veterinarians, pathologists, and neurosurgeons), and goals (basic study, therapeutics development, drug discovery, precision pathology, intraoperative assessment, and laser-assisted surgeries). It is thus desirable to seek further R&D opportunity in a small business environment, in order to allow wide access to this laser by the neuroscience community not trained extensively in laser source engineering. In this project, the R&D effort will first aim to overcome the remaining technical obstacles that hinder the seamless integration of coherent fiber supercontinuum generation and programmable pulse shaping, two photonic technologies dispensable for laser source engineering per se but indispensable for the laser source engineering that targets neuroscience. Subsequently, this laser will be tested in two prototypical systems broadly representative of neurophotonic applications with and without neural intervention. The construction of a more reliable prototype of this laser and the demonstration of its feasibility in the two prototypical neurophotonic systems will enable smooth transition of this R&D effort (SBIR Phase I) to Phase II stage. The whole project may ultimately facilitate wide access to cutting-edge ultrafast laser technology by the broad neuroscience community, in consistency with one goal of the NIH BRAIN Initiative to translate innovative technologies for brain or behavioral research from academia to the marketplace.

概括神经光子学，包括光遗传学的突出例子，一直是大脑研究的驱动力 2013 年建立的 NIH BRAIN Initiative 的一个重点领域。与遗传和生物光子相比改变这一领域的进步，这些进步背后的激光源技术的进步进展滞后，导致了限制科学进步的三个技术障碍脑和行为科学方面的成就：（1）神经科学家和生物光子科学家受到限制通过现成的商业激光器，这可能不是其预期应用的最佳解决方案，因为主要是由于波长、功率和时间分布等参数缺乏完全可调性； (2) 用户—— 可调谐客户或商用激光器的不友好操作阻碍了激光源的扩展技术超越非激光专家和专门的光学实验室，以及（3）安装的设备缺乏适应性当新的神经科学需要和时，具有自由空间光束传输的激光器通常会使它们过时应用程序出现。一种光纤传输的可编程超连续谱激光器，基于系统初步在学术实验室工作，有潜力同时克服三个技术障碍。这种激光器的原型已显示出有望适用于一般神经科学，包括各种神经科学物种（小动物、啮齿动物和人类）、状态（体外/离体、头部固定和自由行为）、设置（光学实验室、动物设施、病理科和手术室）、操作员（激光专家、成像神经科学家、兽医、病理学家和神经外科医生）和目标（基础研究、治疗学开发、药物发现、精密病理学、术中评估和激光辅助手术）。因此，希望在小型企业环境中寻求进一步的研发机会，以便广泛神经科学界没有接受过激光源工程方面的广泛培训，就可以使用这种激光器。在这个项目中，研发工作首先旨在克服阻碍无缝集成的剩余技术障碍相干光纤超连续谱生成和可编程脉冲整形的集成，两个光子技术对于激光光源工程本身来说是可有可无的，但对于激光光源工程来说是必不可少的针对神经科学。随后，该激光器将在两个原型系统中进行广泛测试有或没有神经干预的神经光子应用的代表。建设更多该激光器的可靠原型及其在两个典型神经光子中的可行性论证系统将使这项研发工作（SBIR 第一阶段）顺利过渡到第二阶段。整个项目最终可能会促进广泛的神经科学广泛使用尖端超快激光技术社区，这与 NIH BRAIN Initiative 的一个目标是一致的，即将创新技术转化为从学术界到市场的大脑或行为研究。