Photothermal Optical Coherence Tomography of Anti-Angiogenic Treatment in the Mouse Retina Using Gold Nanorods as Contrast Agents.

Purpose: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is widely used for ocular imaging in clinical and research settings. OCT natively provides structural information based on the reflectivity of the tissues it images. We demonstrate the utility of photothermal OCT (PTOCT) imaging of gold nanorods (GNR) in the mouse retina in vivo in the laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (LCNV) model to provide additional image contrast within the lesion.

In vivo photothermal optical coherence tomography of endogenous and exogenous contrast agents in the eye.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a standard-of-care in retinal imaging. OCT allows non-invasive imaging of the tissue structure but lacks specificity to contrast agents that could be used for in vivo molecular imaging. Photothermal OCT (PT-OCT) is a functional OCT-based technique that has been developed to detect absorbers in a sample.

Nanoengineering of therapeutics for retinal vascular disease.

Retinal vascular diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, neovascular age related macular degeneration, and retinal vein occlusion, are leading causes of blindness in the Western world. These diseases share several common disease mechanisms, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling, hypoxia, and inflammation, which provide opportunities for common therapeutic strategies. Treatment of these diseases using laser therapy, anti-VEGF injections, and/or steroids has significantly improved clinical outcomes.

Engineering of Nanoscale Contrast Agents for Optical Coherence Tomography.

Optical coherence tomography has emerged as valuable imaging modalityin ophthalmology and other fields by enabling high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of tissue. In this paper, we review recent progress in the field of contrast-enhanced optical coherence tomography (OCT). We discuss exogenous and endogenous sources of OCT contrast, focusing on their use with standard OCT systems as well as emerging OCT-based imaging modalities.

Molecular imaging of retinal disease.

Imaging of the eye plays an important role in ocular therapeutic discovery and evaluation in preclinical models and patients. Advances in ophthalmic imaging instrumentation have enabled visualization of the retina at an unprecedented resolution. These developments have contributed toward early detection of the disease, monitoring of disease progression, and assessment of the therapeutic response.