Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have synthesized new chemical entities that selectively bind to regions in the brain that accumulate Aβ-amyloid plaques. (more...)

Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure, in which operations are performed via multiple small incisions. These have gained popularity over conventional open procedures since the smaller incisions result in reduced hemorrhaging, minimal scaring, reduced pain, shorter recovery times and reduced infection and contamination risks. However, laparoscopic surgeries face mid-surgery visibility loss due to fogging, bleeding or tissue smearing, and as such laparoscopic instruments must be removed and cleaned several times over the course of a procedure. To address these challenges, investigators at UC Berkeley have developed a self-cleaning laparoscope, which will circumvent to need to remove the instrument from the patient mid-surgery. In vivo cleaning will not only reduce surgery times but also reduce risk of complications and interruptions from removing and reinserting the instrument. In addition, visibility will remain high throughout the procedure. By encasing the imaging lens in a rotating sphere, no waste is introduced to the patient’s body and the optical pathway will remain clear. The self-cleaning laparoscope has a simple mode of operation, where it is controlled by an external switch on the handle area, and has the potential to eventually replace conventional laparoscopes. (more...)

X-ray based imaging modalities are a vital and necessary component of medical procedures throughout the world. Without doubt, their use has made a profound impact on human healthcare over the last century, and has resulted in the alleviation of pain and a countless number of lives saved. Similar imaging technologies are currently being introduced into the security sector and can be used for scanning individuals for threatening devices such as security checks in airports. Despite their significant contribution to the fields of medicine and security, the potential risks associated with imaging modalities incorporating ionizing radiation cannot be overlooked. Cancer induction is the primary radiation-related risk from the low energy radiation produced by these imaging modalities. Radiation induced cancer risk depends on the dose absorbed in radiosensitive organs. An enhanced awareness of the risks associated with ionizing radiation and a significant increase in the use of radiation based modalities has emphasized the need for the advancement of dose reduction techniques in x-ray based imaging technologies.  (more...)

As the demand for photon detectors with greater sensitivity increases, Avalanche Photodiodes (APD) are being incorporated in conventional photomultiplier tubes (PMT) due to their high quantum conversion efficiency and small size. Nonetheless, the performance of these HAPD devices is degraded by the background noise that is radiated from the radioactive impurities contained in the photomultiplier components.      (more...)

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) MRI is the clinical gold standard for in vivo myocardial tissue characterization and is useful for assessing tissue viability in patients with ischemic heart disease, myocarditis, cardiomyopathies, as well as other heart conditions. LGE MRI is also playing an increasing role in guiding catheter ablation treatments for arrhythmia. Cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which are often implanted into patients with such heart conditions, impair the utility of LGE MRI by producing disruptive imaging artifacts. These artifacts manifest as bright contrast signals, image distortions, or signal voids. Combined, these artifacts drastically limit a physician’s ability to determine if scar tissue is present. Given that over 500,000 patients are implanted with ICDs or pacemakers every year in the U.S., the inability to have diagnostic LGE MRI imaging for these patients represents a significant hazard and unmet need. Thus, novel methods or approaches are needed to clarify LGE MRI images for these at-risk patient populations. (more...)

Cardiac MRI tagging is a promising technique for noninvasively studying regional heart wall motion. To implement, tags are first formed in the myocardium using spatially dependent excitation methods and then a sequence of images are acquired at various phases of the cardiac cycle. Currently, tagging is implemented in the Cartesian coordinate system in which the gradient fields create only parallel taglines. Although Cartesian tagging is most widely implemented, myocardium strain is conventionally presented in the polar coordinate system because it adapts best to the morphology and mechanics of the heart. Further, if tagging patterns were in either the radial or circumferential directions, as opposed to the Cartesian direction, strain calculations would be simplified.        (more...)

Central nervous system (CNS) related diseases, which include epilepsy, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), affect more than 1.5 billion people worldwide.  One of the drawbacks of research into CNS diseases lies in the lack of a suitable platform for effectively and efficiently testing new drug candidates.  This has contributed, in part, to the fact that there are few promising candidates for these debilitating diseases, and many of those that have reached clinical trials have failed.  To move drug discovery research forward, a device with the potential to be a platform technology that can model CNS diseases and allow for fast and accurate testing of novel therapeutic compounds is needed.     (more...)

The invention is an apparatus and method for second harmonic optical coherence tomography of a sample comprising a laser coupled to an interferometer which has a reference arm and in a sample arm. A nonlinear crystal in the reference arm generates a second harmonic reference signal. The sample typically backscatters some second harmonic light into the sample arm. A broadband beam splitter optically coupled to the reference arm and sample arm combines the signals from the reference arm and sample arm into interference fringes and a dichroic beam splitter splits the interference fringes into a fundamental and second harmonic interference signal. A detector is optically coupled to the dichroic beam splitter detects interference fringes from which both an OCT and second harmonic OCT image can be constructed using a conventional data processor. (more...)

MRI scanning has conventionally been operated under low, static magnetic field strength (at or below 1.5 Tesla).  For certain clinical applications, low-field MRI has been found to be suboptimal in providing an informative image due to the lower availability of signal.  In turn, high-field MRI scanners – 3 Tesla (3T) or greater – have been developed and are providing the benefits of higher signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios, as well as better spectral resolution.  While high-field scanners have improved the diagnostic potential of MRI for numerous applications, including tumor detection and angiography, the high magnetic field does bring additional technological and safety limitations for other applications.  In particular, cardiac CINE imaging – which is used to evaluate cardiac function, coronary arteries, and vascular anatomy and cannot be optimally resolved by 1.5T MRI – is limited by the high rate of energy absorption associated with 3T MRI.  Increased energy absorption by tissues can lead to tissue heating and damage and is especially a concern for pediatric populations and patients with implanted devices.  Previous MRI methods have been developed to address the safety concerns of high-field MRI, but not for cardiac CINE imaging.  Thus, the development of new low-energy MRI techniques is necessary to reap the benefits of high-field MRI for cardiac indications.   (more...)

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a toxic byproduct of many physiologic and pathological reactions, and elevated in a variety of conditions in which free radicals have been implicated, such as inflammation, infection, cancer, diabetes, aging, and cardiovascular disease. Most conventional methods for H2O2 detection are limited to in vitro use. Being able to detect and image elevated H2O2 levels in vivo and in situ provides accurate and real time diagnosis and monitoring of many pathologies and body’s response to perturbation. (more...)

More than 750 MRI images (axial, coronal, sagittal sectioning) and behavioral data from studies on the effects of drugs and alcohol on adolescent brain functioning. • Approximately 170-235 sections per orientation. • Available for reuse under a copyright license. Sample Images:  (more...)

The determination of neural pathway by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) generally relies on: 1) deterministic methods or 2) probabilistic methods. Because algorithms based on streamlined constructions are probabilistic in the local (spatial) sense, then determining any globally optimal path from such algorithms is problematic. A means of objectively defining regions would enable a more quantitative assessment of the probability of connection between brain regions. (more...)

Redox (reduction-oxidation) reactions involve the loss or gain of electrons by a molecule. A molecule is reduced when it gains electrons and oxidized when it loses electrons. The reduced molecule and its oxidized counterpart are known as a redox pair. Redox reactions are involved in a wide-variety of cellular processes and the likelihood of a molecule being reduced is a key cellular characteristic, referred to as the cell’s redox potential. Changes in the redox potentials of cells are associated with a wide-range of disease states. For example, cancerous cells are highly metabolically active, which manifests as a higher redox potential compared to the surrounding tissue. An increase in redox potential due to the presence of reactive oxidative species (ROS) may indicate tissue damage caused by a variety of mechanisms, including neurodegeneration, aging, and fatty liver disease. Given the importance of redox chemistry to human physiology, a technique to determine the redox potential of tissues by the examining the ratio of a redox pair would be an invaluable diagnostic tool for a wide-range of diseases. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed an invention that consists of an angular interferometer able to measure angle variations of a coherent, collimated light source with an accuracy below 30 nrad. The optical setup is compact and consists of a few simple optical components. The novelty of this innovation lies in the use of a simple, cost-effect technique to amplify the sensitivity of the instrument. The disclosed invention is in principle capable of being integrated into more compact, high-sensitivity commercial instruments for a fraction of the cost of current, state-of-the-art instruments (currently exceeding $30,000).   Commercial devices used to measure the angular deviation of a single beam include autocollimators and interferometers. The highest resolution offered by a commercial system is 25 nrad. The disclosed angular interferometer is able to measure relative angle variations (of a sample beam relative to a reference beam) below 30 nrad, though the resolution is known to currently be limited by the specific details of the current application and can therefore be further reduced with minor, inexpensive improvements. (more...)

Brachytherapy is an advanced cancer treatment that delivers a targeted high dose rate (HDR) of radiation directly to the tumor. Brachytherapy is a widely used method for the treatment of various cancers, including gynecological and skin cancer. However, success of brachytherapy relies on accurate fit between the applicator and the patient surface. Currently used standard applicators usually fit poorly to the patient, resulting in air gaps that reduce the effectiveness of treatment. The invention herein provides a method to fabricate a mold of a part of the patient's body for the utilization of a brachytherapy applicator to treat various forms of lesions. (more...)

Fluorescence tomography (FT) is a sensitive but intrinsically low spatial resolution imaging modality due to strong photon scattering in biological tissue. Recently, a temperature-responsive fluorescence contrast agent has been reported using ICG loaded pluronic nanocapsules. The temperature dependence of these contrast agents provides a major opportunity to overcome the spatial resolution of regular FT by using temperature modulation/tagging.Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a new molecular optical imaging modality termed “temperature-modulated fluorescence tomography (TM-FT)” that can provide high resolution images without sacrificing the exceptional sensitivity of fluorescence-based detection. TM-FT is based on the temperature modulation of fluorescence quantum efficiency in a highly scattering medium. The medium is irradiated by both excitation light and a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) wave. The crucial benefit of HIFU is that the temperature of the medium is modulated with a very high spatial resolution (~1.5 mm) due to the absorption of acoustic power in the ultrasound focal zone. When the temperature sensitive fluorescence agent presents within HIFU focal zone, the local temperature increases and in turn, changes the fluorescence quantum efficiency inside the focal zone. As a result, the emitted fluorescence light intensity and lifetime have detectable change only when the agent is present within the focal zone. In other words, it allows fluorescence reconstruction with high spatial resolution by scanning focused ultrasound column over the medium while detecting the change in fluorescence signal. Using a proper reconstruction algorithm, this technique can also provide quantitatively accurate fluorescence images. Finally, the temperature sensitive agents can be modified to target molecular pathways and processes associated with many diseases and hence, TM-FT technique can provide a suitable platform for true molecular in vivo imaging. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have invented a device and methods for half-value layer (HVL) characterization in computed tomography (CT) to allow a medical physicist to measure the HVL of an X-ray system while the X-ray tube is rotating - that is, during its normal operation without the necessity to make the x-ray tube stationery. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a novel high resolution imaging technique, referred to as Photo-Magnetic Imaging (PMI), that combines the abilities of optical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging systems. Images are created with PMI by heating tissue with a light (e.g. laser) and measuring the resulting temperature change with MR Thermometry. This change in temperature can then be related to a tissue’s absorption, scattering, and metabolic properties. PMI addresses the limitations of current optical imaging techniques by providing a repeatable, non-contact, high resolution optical image with increased quantitative accuracy. This technique can be used for a wide-range of applications including but not limited to imaging of small animals for research purposes. This technique may also be used in imaging the tissue and organs of a patient. (more...)

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, with approximately 67,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. every year. It also has a high recurrence rate (50-80%), so diligent surveillance is necessary to monitor patient health. Cystoscopy, a procedure in which a cystoscope (thin, telescope-like tube with a light and tiny camera attached) is used view the bladder by insertion in the urethra, is top method to monitor for bladder cancer recurrence. However, the procedure is costly and requires the patient to be under local anesthesia in a doctor’s office. Physicians at the University of California, Irvine have developed a single use disposable camera that may be inserted into the bladder to image it. This camera would stay in the patient’s body and allow for continued monitoring of the bladder between doctor’s visits. In addition to monitoring for bladder cancer recurrence, this camera would be useful for any application in which cystoscopy is used. For example, this novel camera could be used for evaluation and diagnosis of blood in the urine (hematuria), chronic pelvic pain, frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs), interstitial cystitis, urinary incontinence and other problems of the urinary tract. (more...)

Surgery site markers, otherwise known as fiduciary markers, are used to mark the site of a tumor in the body. Some markers are made from 24 karat gold and are implanted at the tumor site during an operation to remove a tumor so that after the operation, radiologists can locate the remains of the tumor for the purpose of providing targeted radiation therapy. The isodensity of pure gold enables the markers to be visualized by virtually any form of radiographic imaging technology. Fiduciary markers are frequently used in post-operation prostate cancer radiation therapy because the prostate gland is known to migrate within the patient’s body. However, the technology has many other applications in various tumor types. The problem with these markers is that they can easily be dislodged from their site of deposition especially in loose or delicate tissues, such as tumors. (more...)

Tachycardia is a type of abnormally fast heart beating arrhythmia-a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute at rest, whose symptoms include palpitations, dizziness, angina, heart failure, or ultimately a heart attack. One of the commonly used non-surgical methods to treat this disease is Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA). Physicians guide a catheter with an electrode at the tip to the area of the heart muscle where there is an accessory extra pathway where heart cells give off the electrical signals that stimulate the abnormal heart rhythm. A radiofrequency energy is transmitted to the pathway and destroys carefully selected cells in a very small area. By doing so, the area stops conducting the extra impulses that cause the tachycardia. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a novel therapy modality, which combines optical coherence tomography and ultrasound with a electrophysiology catheter for real-time monitoring of the RFA treated area of the heart. The invention will provide images with high resolution and high penetration depth. (more...)

An estimated 5.3 million Americans have AD, the most common form of dementia. For decades, diagnosis of AD has relied on the evaluation of cognitive impairment by neuropsychological tests. However, most medical experts now agree that AD actually begins long before patients exhibit clinical symptoms. Beta-amyloid (A-beta) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the pathological hallmarks of the disease, actually appear in the brain much earlier. Recent efforts to identify these brain lesions early, including by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging or by cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) testing, have met with some success. Additional methods for early AD diagnosis may yield new progress in the development of therapeutics that can slow or stop the disease. (more...)

Translational and basic research on disease relies heavily on small animal imaging. Computed tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are frequently used in conjunction with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to provide the anatomical data in pre-clinical research. However, wide use of CT and MRI is limited by their high costs and their need for specialized staff. In addition, their large size requires the dedication of valuable facility space and coordination of usage by many researchers. Therefore, there is need for affordable and convenient anatomical analysis of animal models. Computational registration of mouse anatomy has the potential to save research institutions considerable equipment and imaging expenses and reduce the time researchers expend on retrieving anatomical data. These advancements will expand research capacity by providing greater accessibility to pre-clinical imaging. Such a widespread expansion in pre-clinical imaging tools would especially accelerate research and drug development for cancer, neurodegenerative disease, autoimmunity, and metabolic disorders. (more...)

This is an image of the first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell constructed by researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). Specifically, the image shows a scanning electron micrograph of M. mycoides JCVI-syn1 that was taken by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at UC San Diego. The samples were post-fixed in osmium tetroxide, dehydrated and critical point dried with CO2, then visualized using a Hitachi SU6600 scanning electron microscope at 2.0 keV.The image is available for licensing/print permission. It can be viewed through the following links: UC San DiegoJ Craig Venter Institute Additional information about this first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell can be found in the JCVI press release “First Self-Replicating Synthetic Bacterial Cell” and the JCVI paper “Creation of a Bacterial Cell Controlled by a Chemically Synthesized Genome,” Science 2 July 2010:Vol. 329 no. 5987 pp. 52-56. (more...)

Delivery of drugs by inhalation has numerous advantages. However, analyzing the performance of such drugs requires precise information on the drugs deposition pattern. Researchers at University of California, Davis have developed a method for imaging the exact deposition pattern of inhaled drugs and particles in tissue samples. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a method using nonlinear optical (NLO), femtosecond infrared lasers for the precise depth and area activation of photosensitizers to treat the cornea. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a novel, label-free imaging and evalution method that enables users to track cell metabolism in vivo.The technique is a novel phasor approach to Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM), a multi-photon microscopy technique that excites cells and then detects their fluorescence activity over time. In this approach, the data from these images is transformed mathematically into a phasor representation. The subsequent analysis identifies, locates, and calculates the concentration of important metabolic cell components, such as: collagen, FAD, free and bound NADH, retinol, and retinoic acid.Overall, this novel method provides a straightforward and quantitative interpretation of the physiological processes occurring in tissues. It enables users to visualize cellular metabolism and retinoid gradients, distinguish between the unique metabolic states of cells, and map their level of differentiation. (more...)

There is a growing focus now on understanding how the fundamental cellular building blocks are organized and interact with each other. A tool is needed that can provide dynamic in vivo 3-dimensional microscopic pictures with nanometer resolution of individual molecules interacting with each other. Currently, fluorescence microscopy can provide detailed observations down to the single molecule level for in vitro experiments, and that single fluorophores can be detected in the membrane of living cells with good signal-to-noise ratios. However, it is uncertain whether this method can provide the required spatial and temporal resolution necessary for imaging molecular interactions in vivo. Although several advances have been made in improving the spatial resolution of optical microscopy, they all have their limitations. Some of these limitations include a limited ability to compensate for aberrations, a limited implementation for hydrated samples, constraints on sample size, and difficulty expanding to multi-color probes. Further, super-resolution approaches suffer from basic limitations of far-field optics such as spherical and chromatic aberrations. Although attempts have been made to correct these difficulties, none of these approaches perfectly corrects these imperfections.  (more...)

Molecular imaging plays an instrumental role in cancer research, clinical trials and medical practice. Bioluminescence imaging enables the visualization of genetic expression and physiological processes at the molecular level in living tissues by using a bioluminescence reporter, which is usually a genetic transfect from a firefly. This imaging ability opens possibilities for accelerating basic research and drug discovery by allowing in vivo imaging of various disease processes. Currently, the commercial bioluminescence imaging systems developed by Caliper Life Sciences (Xenogen), Kodak and Berthold are for planar imaging and qualitative analyses, and cannot accurately reconstruct a bioluminescent source distribution inside a living animal. Our proposed BLT techniques will allow reliable and accurate analyses on the bioluminescence probe distribution within a living small animal, and offer an excellent instrument to identify disease pathways, clarify mechanisms of action, evaluate efficacy of drug compounds, and monitor their effects on disease progression in animal models. (more...)

Computed tomography is a medical imaging method that uses special x-ray equipment to obtain cross-sectional pictures of the body. At more than 60 million scans last year, CT is a major contributor to the increased collective radiation dose received by patients. Ionizing radiation utilized in this method is a concern because of the risk associated with an increased possibility of cancer induction. To quantify the risk associated with CT examinations, it is necessary to accurately determine radiation dose to individual radiosensitive organs. The preferred method to calculate organ dose values, Monte Carlo (MC) computer simulations, utilizes x-ray source models to generate MC dosimetry simulations. Generating x-ray source models requires access to manufacturer proprietary data of the scanner under investigation. Restricted access to this confidential information has resulted in a limited number of CT scanners that research groups can simulate, as well as the number of research groups involved in the field. (more...)

Behavioral scientists require devices that allow them to present stimuli to subjects and to record their response with high temporal precision. This becomes particularly challenging in magnetic resonance imaging where the harsh environment of the scanner and its acute sensitivity to noise make the engineering of such devices difficult for the non-MRI professional. Further, scientists frequently have highly specialized demands for their stimulus response devices. For example, some may need a configuration of four response buttons in a star configuration, while another might want buttons in a glove pattern. While such adjustment might seem easy, it is not trivial to make such changes when the rest of the device must be engineered around the MRI or EEG requirements. Experimenters also need a simple means of interfacing devices to computers used to generate stimuli and record data. To this end, a variety of costly commercial solutions exists that provide researchers with stimulus/response devices. However, these are inflexible and are typically limited in their capabilities. (more...)

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a functional imaging modality that directly detects neuronal activity with a millisecond temporal resolution. However, since a number of different source configurations can generate the same MEG signal, assumptions must be made about the nature of the sources (source models) to uniquely localize them. A variety of MEG source-modeling methods have been put forth, yet no single beamformer technique is capable of adequately localizing highly correlated networks from noisy MEG data without requiring both a priori information and expensive and impractical computation. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have developed a limited field of view (LFOV) single photon emission coherence tomography (SPECT) reconstruction technique that can be implemented on a multi-modality MRI/SPECT system. This technique may be used to obtain simultaneous MRI and SPECT images on a shorter time scale with improved resolution and at a lower cost when compared to other image reconstruction techniques. (more...)

UCSF inventors have created a prototype for a deformable phantom that realistically models both soft tissue and bony structures from a transverse slice of an actual patient CT. (more...)

Mode-locked lasers are widely used to produce ultrashort light pulses (in the femtosecond range), for use in science and industry. Poor dispersion compensation, also called chirp, is a limiting factor in reducing the pulse length in many of these systems. While linear chirp can be eliminated with simple and mature technology—grating pairs, chirped mirrors, dispersion-compensating fibers, etc.—higher-order chirp is more difficult to eliminate. One approach to eliminating higher-order chirp is to use a programmable spatial light modulator—for example, a liquid-crystal or acousto-optic modulator—in the Fourier plane of a grating pair. These modulators, however, are very expensive, easily damaged, and absorb some of the light. Deformable mirrors can perform a similar role, but are also very expensive. Other approaches to tunably compensate higher-order chirp require extra optical components that make them difficult to align and adjust. Still other approaches are not tunable, or else tunable over only one degree of freedom. The present invention is an optical component that compensates higher-order chirp. It is very inexpensive and simple to manufacture, has low light loss, and has enormous damage threshold. Most importantly, it has three independent degrees of freedom, which adjust linear chirp, quadratic chirp, and cubic chirp. Each of these adjustments requires no realignment: Only the component itself needs to be adjusted. Therefore the invention could have widespread use, both as an OEM component of commercial lasers, and also as an easily-implemented upgrade to legacy systems. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a dual modality magnetic resonance (MR)/nuclear imaging system for diagnosing prostate cancer. A novel MR prostate radiofrequency (RF) coil built for high field MRI may be combined with single photon emission tomography (SPECT) detectors that enable the medical practitioner to perform co-registered prostate MR and nuclear imaging. (more...)

While teleimmersion has great potential, available algorithms for real-time stereo reconstruction require several seconds to several minutes to process two images and produce accurate stereo output.  Available FPGA and GPU implementations have inherent drawbacks in ability to reconstruct homogenous regions or regions with repeating patterns. The time-of-flight cameras have low resolution, limited range, high noise, and albedo sensitivity. Therefore,  a practical real-time stereo reconstruction is needed for a system enabling geographically distributed users to interact with each other in a shared virtual space.   University of California investigators have responded to this challenge by developing INTI Multiview, a real-time stereo reconstitution integration for 3D telleimmersion.  With INTI Multiview, each user is presented by their 3D avatar generated in real time. INTI Multiview focuses primarily on integrating multiple stereo reconstructions from different views.  Levels of accuracy comparable to other methods are achieved at a much faster speed on CPU by taking a hybrid approach: performing a local optimization technique (the region matching) and using a global optimization approximation to improve the initial results (anisotropic diffusion).  The investigators have implemented a novel multiscale representation that allows for the highly accurate reconstruction of a scene.  The investigators have successfully tested INTI Multiview in many application areas, such as remote dance choreography, shared geoscientific and archeological applications, and training. This work has further extensions in other applications where real-time stereo data is necessary, e.g. full body motion capture, surveillance and tracking, foreground/background segmentation, autonomous vehicle control.  Markerless 3D reconstruction for human movement analysis (motion capture, visual feedback for gaming, rehabilitation etc.)   (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a rotating gantry system that can be inserted and integrated into any magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system to acquire images with a second modality (i.e. SPECT, PET, optical tomography, etc). (more...)

Historically, molecular resonance imaging (MRI) has provided little or no signal for short transverse relaxation time (T2) tissues in the musculoskeletal system. Copyright/software provides a means to quantitatively measure the relaxation time for other tissues that have been difficult to image and may provide a means to assess change in structure and composition of the collagen matrix. (more...)

BACKGROUND:   Pancreatic cancer strikes more than 42,000 Americans per year and claims over 35,000 lives annually. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Early pancreatic cancer is frequently asymptomatic, thus resulting in malignant metastasizing tumors and poor prognosis by the time it is first detected. Unfortunately to date, there is no method for early detection of pancreatic cancer.   One of the hallmarks of early stage tumor growth is the continuous formation of new blood vessels by angiogenesis. It is thought that av-integrins and their arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) binding peptide facilitate neovasculature growth, and thus are promising targets for early tumor detection.   TECHNOLOGY:    Scientists at UCSF have developed a novel imaging tool that takes advantage of a new tumor homing peptide (termed iRGD) and can be used with existing imaging modalities for early tumor detection. These multivalent iRGD-biopolymers bind to integrin-expressing tumor cells, and subsequently are internalized into tumor cells and tissues. Our investigators have observed iRGD-biopolymers selectively binding to pancreatic ductual carcinoma cells in an ex vivo animal model for pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, in live animal studies using optical and PET imaging technologies, iRGD-biopolymers specifically incorporated into tumor sites.  (more...)

A novel reliable method for 4-D imaging of periodically moving structures that does not require any additional hardware for acquiring a gating signal. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed an RF coil with integrated collimators. This combination coil has a greater internal volume and an object of interest, such as a small animal, may be placed within the coil for MRI and SPECT imaging. (more...)

The maximum safe laser energy, or radiant exposure (IMSRE), for dermatological laser therapies depends strongly on the individual patient’s pigmentation. Existing devices, generally known as pigmentation or erythema meters use optical reflectance to determine the individual’s pigmentation. There are two disadvantages of these devices: The pigmentation determination is determined solely on an optical basis which is only an indirect and potentially inaccurate measure of possible laser induced damage. There is no systematic verification that IMSRE has been predicted. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a breast anatomy imaging system that combines a position tracking system with a handheld optical imaging device. This combined technology allows the researcher and/or clinician to image cancerous versus normal breast tissue at intervals throughout the course of the therapy. A non-invasive near-infrared technology based upon diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) has been developed to quantitatively monitor tumor response to the pres-surgical chemotherapy. A tracking device associated with a handheld device can measure a region of interest in the breast tissue at each visit with approximately 1 mm system accuracy. Thus, diffuse optical spectroscopy is used to monitor tumor response in patients with locally advanced cancer throughout the course of the therapy. (more...)

The most common way to make micro and nano scale particles of custom shapes is by lithography and etching, which requires expensive lithography masks, systems, and additional steps. Nanoimprintation, where a patterned form is pressed into a polymer to stamp out features, is an alternative for making customized particles. There are disadvantages to nanoimprintation, however, such as the form becoming clogged with polymer material, the enormous forces necessary to create enough pressure to stamp out very small objects, and often there is a residual layer of polymer that remains in areas outside the depressions where the form and flat substrate should make hard contact. Another popular option is step-and-flash nanoimprintation, where the form is used to stamp features into a photoresist, which is then exposed to light (flashed) to crosslink. Less force is required in step-and-flash because photoresist is generally less viscous than molten polymer, but step-and-flash still carries the other disadvantages associated with conventional nanoimprintation. (more...)

Single cell imaging has been achieved through the use of microcoils in NMR. The NMR microcoils are typically wound around glass capillaries mounted on silicon chips and therefore cannot be implemented directly in patients. Implantable magnetic resonance coils have been patented, however do to the nature and size of existing technologies, the MR signal is not sufficiently concentrated and uniform to allow refined MR spectroscopy. In addition, the current devices typically can only target a large region of interest. (more...)

Ultrasound image-guidance has become the standard of care for needle-based procedures. The safety and success of image-guided interventions is dependent on anatomic knowledge, visualization, and precise tracking and control of the biopsy needle. Optimal visualization of the structure of interest and biopsy needle requires the use of specialized biopsy needles and high-fidelity ultrasound units, but the vast majority of medical care providers lack the access to high-fidelity ultrasound machines and specialized biopsy needles necessary for accurate images. Instead, the majority of healthcare providers use less expensive, lower resolution hand-carried ultrasound (HCUS) units. Unfortunately, the inability to clearly see the tip of a needle in relation to the object of interest on the lower-fidelity HCUS units limits the utility of such image-guidance. Numerous invasive procedures are performed on a daily basis without the benefit of accurate image-guidance resulting from poor needle tracking. Such procedures include, but are not limited to, arterial cannulation, abscess drainage, mass biopsies, paracentesis, thoracentesis, and nerve blocks. (more...)

The use of antibodies to target tumor cell-associated antigens for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes has been a critical step forward in cancer research. As protein engineering capabilities grow, researchers modify antibodies to alter inherent characteristics, such as affinity and immunogenicity, for enhanced imaging and tumor response. One example of this is in the conjugation of various radionuclides to small recombinant antibody fragments (i.e. diabodies and minibodies) for in vivo tumor cell targeting applications. However, it is not always advantageous to use radioactivity, and thus alternative detection systems are necessary. To that end, the search for high-sensitivity and high-specificity probes that circumvent the limitations of organic dyes and fluorescent proteins has led to the discovery and utilization of quantum dots, nanometer-sized semiconductor particles. Quantum dots are brighter than traditional chromophores, have greater stability, and can be used in multiplex imaging due to size-tunable emission wavelengths. To date, bioconjugates with quantum dots are coupled to intact antibodies whose large size makes it difficult to penetrate tissues and tumors. Therefore, it would be advantageous to monitor tumors with a robust, but small, bioconjugate for tandem in vivo monitoring and treatment. (more...)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and optical imaging have become useful and standard tools for researchers to non-invasively monitor physiological, anatomical, and molecular events in living animals. In vivo imaging provides important information into disease development, therapeutic efficacy of an external agent such as a drug or a gene, and the fate of such agent in toxicology and dosage studies. These experiments generally require repetitive imaging of the same animal. Further, the same animal may be imaged under different platforms since each provides a different kind of information. For example, CT and MRI provide anatomic and morphological information but little about biological information that PET and SPECT provide. Repetitive imaging under the same platform and imaging under different platforms both share a common requirement: the precise positioning of the animal. Positioning is important for comparing results between control and experimental data and also data from the different imaging platforms. As a result, there is a need for a device that enables the precise positioning of an animal subject in repetitive imaging and imaging under different platforms. Such a device should also address some of the important features for in vivo imaging of small laboratory animals such as heating, anesthesia support, hypothermia prevention, and sterile environment for immuno-compromised animals. (more...)

UCSD researchers have developed a hybrid method for analyzing diffusion data collected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By using diffusion-weighted gradient pulses in conjunction with a hyperecho pulse sequence, researchers have been able to enhance further the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging to diffusion . The increase in sensitivity over existing methods (spin-echo diffusion-weighted imaging [DWI] and stimulated echo DWI) translates into higher quality images with better resolution, or can be used to reduce the time required for a high-quality scan. (more...)

The essence of the invention is the use of ultrashort echo times (UTE) to enable the effective magnetic resonance imaging of difficult to image tissues and structures. Due to their material properties, MR signals from certain body tissues and structures decay very rapidly and thus produce very little detectable signal for image reconstruction. These tissues include cortical bone, tendons, ligaments, menisci and periosteum, certain matter of the brain, liver, and spine. Current commercial MR systems are limited in imaging these tissues using conventional pulse echo times (TE's). (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed novel polydimethylsiloxane shelled microbubbles that may be functionalized with a variety of ligands to selectively target treatment or diagnosis. These microbubbles may be used as a stand-alone application in biological applications such as medical imaging and drug delivery. (more...)

This invention presents a novel cardiac imaging processing method, the tomography-based dynamic cardiac elastography (DCE) method for in vivo identification of the passive nonlinear viscoelastic properties and active contractility of myocardium of an individual heart. (more...)

The present invention is related generally to a method for screening subjects to determine those subjects more likely to develop diabetes by quantization of insulin producing cells. The present invention is also related to the diagnosis of diabetes to monitor disease progression or treatment efficacy of candidate drugs. (more...)

New materials and methods that enable the simple inclusion of 18F into cancer-targeting peptides that can be used as radiolabels for PET imaging (more...)

Physicians at UCSF have invented an improved radiographic marker for use during open surgical procedures. The improved marker overcomes the migratory tendencies of surgical clips and gold markers seeds and is suitable for use with almost any tissue types. In addition, the marker can be used as a delivery platform for local chemical, thermal, or radiofrequency therapy to the operative site. One embodiment of this invention consists of an accessory which can place current commercially available markers and clips. (more...)

To date, no methods have been very successful in determining fine structural details of specific complex objects. Although imaging tools such as electron microscope tomography allow 1nm resolution in biological systems, there is generally a lot of associated background noise due to nonspecific staining. Methods of analyzing tomography images such as Fourier, correlation, and model fitting fail to filter through the low signal to noise ratios since they provide information on global frequency content, but no information on where particular frequencies occur. UCSF investigators have developed a new wavelet-based image processing algorithm that can determine where particular frequencies occur, independent of how often they occur. (more...)

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 200 1145 UC Berkeley 9 2 1406 12.256 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} The design, synthesis, and evaluation of the Copper-Gad (CG) family, a new class of copper-activated MRI contrast agents, are presented. These indicators are comprised of a Gd3+-DO3A core coupled to various thioether-rich receptors for copper-induced relaxivity switching. In the absence of copper ions, inner-sphere water binding to the Gd3+ chelate is restricted, resulting in low longitudinal relaxivity values (r1 = 1.2 mM-1s-1 to r1 = 2.2 mM-1s-1 measured at 60 MHz). Addition of Cu+ to CG2, CG3, CG4, and CG5 or either Cu+ or Cu2+ to CG6 triggers marked relaxivity enhancements (r1 = 2.3 mM-1s-1 to r1 = 6.9 mM-1s-1). CG2 and CG3 exhibit the greatest turn-on responses, going from r1 = 1.5 mM-1s-1 in the absence of Cu+ to r1 = 6.9 mM-1s-1 upon Cu+ binding (360% increase). The CG sensors are highly selective for Cu+ and/or Cu2+ over competing metal ions at cellular concentrations, including Zn2+ at 10-fold higher concentrations. 17O NMR DIS and NMRD measurements support a mechanism in which copper-induced changes in the coordination environment of the Gd3+ core result in increases in q and r1. T1-weighted phantom images establish that the CG sensors are capable of visualizing changes in copper levels by MRI at clinical field strengths. The introduction of thioether-based donors provides a practical strategy for discriminating copper versus zinc ions. Normal.dotm 0 0 1 200 1145 UC Berkeley 9 2 1406 12.256 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} (more...)

Diabetes is a condition that affects blood vessels throughout the body, particularly in the kidneys and eyes. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of new blindness in the United States. Diabetic retinopathy results when diabetes affects vessels in the eyes, producing abnormalities such as microaneurysms and hemorrhages. These abnormalities are the same color as that of blood vessels, causing some areas of the normal blood vessel system in the retina to be erroneously classified as defects. Automated systems for detecting diabetic retinopathy have been plagued by high false alarm rates. Performance reported from prior systems using a matched filter response was below the level of a human operator. (more...)

Magnetometers are used for sensing magnetic fields. Applications include geophysical surveying, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magneto-encephalography and perimeter surveillance. Gyroscopes sense rotation. Together, these instruments are used in inertial navigation and platform stabilization such as anti-roll systems in cars. A variety of commercial magnetometers exist with various application areas. Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS) are highly sensitive but require cryogenic cooling. Atomic magnetometers are even more sensitive but run approximately $10,000 per unit. Commercially available gyroscopes run a similar gamut. (more...)

Standard electrical motors when used in magnetic resonance (MR) instrumentation may interfere with the functionality of the MR imaging. These interferences from the motor distort the resulting MR images. Developing a motor that operates in high magnetic fields used in MR imaging and MR based intervention procedures without distorting the resulting images is desirable. (more...)

Integrated PET-MRI Scanner for Simultaneous Imaging (more...)

Targeted Delivery of Nanoparticles to the Heart Endothelium with Large Pay-Load Potential, Applicable to Drug/Gene Delivery (more...)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) are anatomical and biochemical imaging techniques, respectively, which depend on the interaction of molecules with static and radio-frequency magnetic fields. MRI relies upon mapping the proton (1H) concentration of water molecules, while MRS records the 1H concentration of several water-soluble metabolites, lipids and water. Although they use different techniques, MRS can be performed with the same MRI scanner by using identical hardware and slightly modified software platforms. Because MRS can also record metabolites consisting of other nuclei, such as carbon (13C), phosphorous (31P), fluorine (19F), and sodium (23Na), it can be used to record the metabolite levels in different areas of the human body for which MRI provides the spatial coordinates for the volume locations. However, current versions of the localized one-dimensional (1D) MR spectroscopic sequences (STEAM, PRESS, ISIS, etc.) result in severe overlap of spectral peaks in the MR spectra and ambiguous assignments of metabolites. (more...)