| Modulated Imaging (MI) is a fast, scan-free method that enables one to image and quantify the optical properties of turbid media. The technology can simultaneously map surface and sub-surface tissue structure, function and composition. Based on frequency-domain measurement principles, MI uses spatially-periodic or "structured" illumination and camera-based detection to separate and quantify the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence optical properties over a wide field-of-view (many cm) without the need for sample contact. Resolution is depth-dependent and thus scalable (sub-millimeter to millimeter), with depth sensitivity up to a few cm. This method has particularly strong potential for in-vivo clinical and pre-clinical imaging, where optical properties at several wavelengths provide quantitative information on endogeneous chromophore concentrations (i.e. oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin, fat, and water). These parameters reflect quantitative, localized tissue status such as blood volume, tissue oxygenation, and edema. Using multispectral MI instrumentation, demonstrations of two in-vivo applications are investigated: (1) pre-clinical functional imaging of brain injury in a rodent model and (2) clinical imaging spectroscopy of human skin. Also, preliminary 3D fluorescence tomography data suggest that MI may provide a convenient, low-cost platform for localizing and quantifying exogenous molecular probes in-vivo. |
