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Overview

Research Overview

The Shahidi Laboratory is focused on development and application of prototype optical imaging technologies to study pathophysiology and improve diagnostic evaluation of ocular and systemic diseases. Ongoing research projects include: imaging of retinal oxygen delivery and metabolism in experimental models of retinal diseases, characterization of microvascular hemodynamics in ocular and systemic diseases, identification of image-based biomarkers of diabetic retinopathy, and assessment of retinal neurovascular coupling and oxygen metabolism in diabetic retinopathy, sickle cell retinopathy and glaucoma.

Research Topics

  • Ocular Imaging Technology
  • Ocular Hemodynamics
  • Neurovascular Coupling
  • Retinal Oxygen Metabolism
  • Image-based Biomarkers of Disease

Ongoing Projects

Project 1: Imaging of Retinal Oxygenation and MetabolismProject 2: Ocular Imaging Biomarkers of Diabetic RetinopathyProject 3: Identifying Oxygen-related Ocular Biomarkers of GlaucomaProject 4: Relating Tissue Perfusion and Oxygenation in Retinal Diseases

Project 1: Imaging of Retinal Oxygenation and Metabolism

Development of multimodal imaging techniques that measure retinal vascular/tissue oxygen tension and blood flow, and assess retinal oxygen delivery, metabolism, and extraction fraction under experimental ischemic conditions.

Imaging of retinal blood flow by fluorescence microsphere and red-free retinal imaging combined with vascular oxygen tension measurement by optical section phosphorescence lifetime imaging.
Three-dimensional imaging of retinal tissue oxygen tension in rat using optical section phosphorescence lifetime imaging.

Combined imaging of retinal tissue and vascular oxygen tension in rat using dual oxyphor optical section phosphorescence lifetime imaging

Project 2: Ocular Imaging Biomarkers of Diabetic Retinopathy

Identifying ocular biomarkers of microvascular, neural, and metabolic function that are predictive of development, progression, and treatment outcome of diabetic retinopathy.

Dual wavelength retinal imaging for measurements of vascular oxygen saturation and blood vessel diameters before and during stimulation by light flicker.
Imaging of conjunctival microcirculation for measurements of blood flow and wall shear stress.
Optical coherence tomography for thickness mapping and reflectance imaging of individual retinal layers.

 

Project 3: Identifying Oxygen-related Ocular Biomarkers of Glaucoma

Combining oxygen-related metrics that have been individually proven to be disturbed in glaucoma to identify novel oxygen-related biomarkers that directly and comprehensively assess retinal vascular and functional reserve for predicting development, progression, and treatment of glaucoma.

Imaging of retinal perfusion by optical coherence angiography and fractal analysis of images to assess capillary density.

 

Project 4: Relating Tissue Perfusion and Oxygenation in Retinal Diseases

Optical coherence angiography images for quantitative assessment of retinal vessel tortuosity and capillary density coupled with retinal oximetry for measurement of vascular oxygen saturation.

 

Funding

University of Southern California