国产传媒

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国产传媒 Biophotonics Center

国产传媒 Biophotonics Center
  2. 国产传媒 Internship in Biophotonics for Emerging Scholars (VIBES) 2026 Project Overviews

国产传媒 Internship in Biophotonics for Emerging Scholars (VIBES) 2026 Project Overviews

VIBES听is launching its second summer research program in 2026 and will be bringing students to campus to work closely with VBC faculty on biophotonics-related research projects. The paid 10-week program will provide undergraduates with the opportunity to have first-hand research experience in laboratory research.听

Application details can be found on the program homepage here.听

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Sample Project Descriptions

  1. Our lab has been working on understanding and applying pulsed infrared light to听modulate various neural cell types (e.g. neurons, astrocytes, microglia). Recent findings听suggest that the effects that pulsed infrared light has on neural cell function can also听play a major role in T-cell activation towards immune response. Optical tools to precisely听modulate the immune system function spatially could prove useful in studying the听immune system, its dysfunction, and in clinical applications towards treating听inflammation, infection, and pain. This project will focus on utilizing cell culture,听pharmacology, high-speed fluorescence imaging and advanced image analysis to听explore how pulsed infrared light can directly modulate T-cell function.

  2. Rodents are ideal models for studying disease pathogenesis and response to genetic听and pharmacological perturbation in the eye. Optical imaging methods enable听noninvasive cellular-resolution visualization of tissue structure and function. We will听develop a multimodality optical imaging system that provides simultaneous fluorescence听and reflectance contrast of retina microstructure and function. Complementary contrast听from these modalities will enable real-time image-guided delivery of gene and stem-cell听therapies in mouse models of retinal disease and longitudinal tracking of physiological听response.

  3. The incidence of diabetic retinopathy (retinal damage due to diabetes) has increased听significant in recent years. Early diagnostics and therapeutic guidance is currently limited听by the ability to visualize changes in retinal vascular perfusion at the retinal periphery.听Optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables noninvasive volumetric imaging of听surface and subsurface tissue structures with micron-resolution and has become the听鈥済old standard鈥 for ophthalmic imaging and diagnostics. However, the field-of-view of听conventional OCT is limited, and multi-volumetric mosaicking of OCT data is required to听access the retinal periphery. Novel image-processing algorithms will be developed to听identify corresponding fiducials and perform nonlinear registration on overlapping OCT听volumes.听听

  4. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging technology that is听analogous to ultrasound with light. Applications of OCT imaging have predominately听focused on structural imaging of surface and subsurface features with micron resolution.听However, OCT can also be applied to quantitatively image perfusion, and we will听leverage functional OCT imaging to assess lymphatic function in animal models.

  5. Preterm infants are at increased risk for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which results in听reversal of blood flow in the descending aorta during diastole. When prolonged, this听condition has been shown to be associated with neonatal morbidity and mortality. The听standard for confirming PDA is echocardiography, and various treatment measures are听employed with a final resort being surgery. There is a need to monitor an infant's听response to treatment so as to allow timely decision making on whether to change听treatment methods. Echocardiography requires skilled personnel and cannot be used as听a monitoring tool. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) is a technique that is sensitive听to superficial blood flow. We hypothesize that PDA, while primarily affecting the ductus,听will also result in changes to superficial perfusion. This project will involve developing an听LSCI device for monitoring treatment of infants with PDA.

  6. Identifying biomarkers for embryo viability: Infertility affects more than 1 in 10 American听couples; current assisted reproductive treatments like in vitro fertilization are costly and听have low success rates. In this project, we are using label-free imaging techniques like听optical coherence tomography to identify potential biomarkers for viability that will听improve fertility outcomes.

  7. Low-cost and portable diagnosis for diabetic eye disease: Diabetic retinopathy is the听leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. In this project, we are developing a听technology to facilitate low-cost and portable comprehensive eye exams that can be听implemented at local clinics via tele-medicine.

  8. Portable brain imaging: Functional near-infrared imaging is a powerful tool for assessing听cognitive function, but existing systems are bulky and costly, which prevents large-scale听studies and studies of populations like children. In this project, we are developing a low-cost, portable fNIR system to enable novel studies in children with behavior disorders.

  9. Investigating photon propagation in various tissue sample models including processing听experimental data.

  10. Assist in developing a quantitative metric for temperature based assessments of听cardiovascular system operation using thermal camera images, in order for the metric to听be used for diagnostic purposes.