MPBE Undergraduate Summer Internship:
Medical image processing for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique that uses light to create 3D sub-surface images. OCT can be loosely described as an optical analog of radar or ultrasonic imaging. Research in OCT combines classical free-space optics, fiber-optics, photodetectors, high-speed electronics, and scientific programming. There are a broad range of applications for OCT, ranging from biomedical imaging to non-destructive testing (NDT) of industrial materials. In the biomedical area, OCT is widely used for imaging in eye diseases, and it is emerging as a technology for cardiovascular and cancer imaging.
Aim:
The purpose of this project is to investigate the causes of myopia (short sightedness), and evaluate the effects of novel interventions. The project work is based on image processing of clinical optical coherence tomography (OCT) data.
Project description:
Short-sightedness, also known as myopia, is rapidly increasing in young people across the UK and around the world. At the early stages of myopia, blurry vision can be readily corrected by wearing glasses. However, as the onset of myopia occurs at a younger age, and as the severity gets worse, the probably of developing vision robbing diseases in later life significantly increases. The aim of this project is to develop imaging technology to understand the physiological changes in the eyes that cause myopia, and to evaluate the effects of proposed treatments. OCT is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that is commonly used for volumetric (three-dimensional) micrometre-scale imaging the retina, the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Visualization of the choroid, a heavily vascularized tissue that provides metabolic support for the retina, is at the very limit of OCT capabilities. The quality of OCT images of the retina and choroid can be improved by acquiring and averaging multiple volumes. An introductory step in this project will be to implement volumetric image-registration, compensating for motion that occurs during imaging, and permitting pixel-to-pixel alignment and averaging of the image data. The second part of the project will be to develop software methods to automatically analyse the blood vessel patterns in the choroid. These software tools will contribute to research on the hypothesis that myopic severity is related to a layer of the choroid tissue where the middle-sized vessels are located.
Work Plan:
The student involved in the project will be introduced to OCT images, and an accompanying description of the retina and choroid anatomy. The initial step for the student will be to implement 3D registration of OCT images, and to evaluate the effects of motion-corrected averaging on the signal to background image contrast. Scientific programming may be performed in Matlab or Python. The next step will be to segment the boundary between the retina and the choroid in the images. The choroid will be isolated, and the student will investigate algorithmic methods to delineate the blood vessels. The vessel sizes will be measured, and a clustering tool will be used to identify the large, middle, and small (capillary) vessels. The project output will be a depth encoded visualization of the choroid with the vessels categorized (and colour coded) by size. These results will be used by the ophthalmologists to investigate changes to the choroid in clinical populations of young people with high myopia. This project has a software focus, but also as a significant in-person component. Work will be based at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO), and will include regular interaction with clinician scientists at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Post-graduate projects and Scholarships
Medical imaging with OCT, and novel approaches to medical image analysis are exciting topics for research. Students that are interested in pursuing a PhD in optical medical imaging should consider applying to the EPSRC DPT. The application deadline is rapidly approaching, but there is still plenty of time to submit a strong and coordinated application.