Prof.  Nanguang  Chen
National University of Singapore,  Singapore

Title: Advanced Laser Speckle Imaging Methods Based on Line Illumination

Abstract:

We have developed an advanced Line Scan Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LS-LSCI) method, which features line illumination and line detection. LS-LSCI is essentially a descanned imaging system with an improved ability to reject surface reflections and suppress multiply scattered light. The image sensor can be configured in the confocal detection mode or the offset detection mode. The system has been applied to visualization of both the blood flow and morphological details of the vasculature in chick embryos. The experimental results demonstrated that LS-LSCI is capable of detecting and quantifying blood flow in blood vessels smaller and deeper than those detectable by conventional Surface Illumination Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (SI-LSCI) method. Furthermore, LS-LSCI is also capable of producing depth-resolved absorption-based morphological images of tissue, augmenting flow-based functional images.

Biography:

Dr. Nanguang Chen is currently an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2000 from Tsinghua University. He also received his MSc in Physics and BSc in Electrical Engineering in 1994 (Peking University), and 1988 (Hunan University), respectively. He joined the Optical and Ultrasound Imaging Lab at the University of Connecticut in 2000 as a postdoctoral fellow and then became an Assistant Research Professor in 2002. Since 2004, he has been a faculty member with NUS. His research interests include diffuse optical tomography, optical coherence tomography, and novel microscopic imaging methods.