Summary A system and method to assess the blood oxygen saturation in retinal vessels and capillaries, in high resolution. This invention can quantify the oxygen saturation in a single capillary using a non-invasive and dye-free technique.
Technology Overview Altered oxygen supply is thought to be a critical factor underlying many retinal disorders that may precede loss of visual acuity and observable changes in vascular morphology. If quantified accurately, blood oxygen saturation could be used as a biomarker to monitor retinal metabolism, predict its pathologies, and can serve as a valuable early indicator of ocular diseases. This invention can reliably measure the blood oxygen saturation in an entire retinal vascular tree, including single capillaries (Fig. 1). The system uses fiber-based visible light optical coherence tomography, utilizing a super-continuum white light laser to deliver ultra-broad and steady illumination and allows for the reliable measurement of oxygenation in individual vessels. For the first time, oximetry measurement can be achieved in retinal capillaries of three vascular plexuses, as shown for rodents in Fig. 1. This method can also be used to measure ischemic diseases in other ocular tissue (i.e. the iris) and non-ocular tissue (i.e. cerebral cortex). Currently, there is no available retinal capillary oximetry that can non-invasively measure oxygen saturation in capillary.
Publication Pi S et al., "Retinal capillary oximetry with visible light optical coherence tomography." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2020; 117(21): 11658-11666. Link
Licensing Opportunity This technology is available for exclusive or non-exclusive licensing.