This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $255,757 awarded on August 15, 2022 will fund the development of an ultrasound-based point-of-care periodontal imaging device under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084). Stylosonic LLC will develop an integrated device for acoustic imaging of the entire mouth that automatically processes imaging data to assist dentists in assessing gingival health and periodontitis. Key objectives include miniaturizing imaging...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), under the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program (CFDA 93.286), aims to develop a miniaturized forward-viewing endoscopic micro-optical coherence tomography (MOCT) system utilizing a low-voltage electrowetting prism scanner. The $405,689 award, granted on January 10, 2025, will enable the Regents of the University of Colorado to first...
This Project Grant award of $400,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to develop a new high-speed 3D dynamic contrast microscopic optical coherence tomography (3D DYC-μOCT) imaging system. The goal is to enable label-free, 3D visualization of ciliary beating dynamics in human airway organoids, which is essential for studying lung diseases and developing improved treatments. The key objectives are to: (1) engineer a broadband, high-coherence...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research program (CFDA 93.121), provides $294,632 to Greenmark Biomedical Inc. to develop an intraoral camera system that can detect and monitor early-stage dental caries (tooth decay) using nanoparticle-enhanced imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) software. The key products to be delivered under this award include a minimally viable prototype of...
This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $275,000 to Lightfinder Inc. aims to develop a silicon photonic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imager for pathology diagnostics. The primary objective is to create a high-performance, portable, and cost-effective imaging solution by integrating all optical components onto a single silicon chip. The research will address key technical challenges such as achieving high...
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) awarded a $619,347 Project Grant (CFDA 93.121 - Oral Diseases and Disorders Research) to Light Research Inc. (LRI), a for-profit small business in Tucson, Arizona. The grant supports the optimization and commercialization of a compact multimodal intraoral camera that integrates polarized white light imaging, autofluorescence imaging, optical coherence tomography, and near-infrared transillumination imaging modalities. This...
The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $256,296 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) to The General Hospital Corporation (Massachusetts General Hospital) to develop new "Auto-Sensing, Instantaneous Adaptive Ranging Optical Coherence Tomography (OCTA)" technology. This technology aims to expand the imaging depth range of OCTA systems, enabling improved visualization of the critical peripheral retinal microvasculature. The project will leverage advances in integrated...
The National Science Foundation awarded a $254,360 Project Grant to Quiver Dental, Inc. under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to develop a diagnostic device to measure dental implant stability. The one-year award running from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023 aims to complete proof-of-concept demonstration of a reliable and accurate device using vibrational technology to quantify the degree of motion and stability between a dental implant and surrounding...
This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $249,999 to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania for the development of a smart dental implant system. The award will support research and educational activities from September 2022 through August 2025. Specifically, the grantee will build a strategy to prevent peri-implant disease through enhancing soft tissue immunity near dental implants. They will develop an ambulatory care platform...
This Project Grant award of $422,665.00 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), under the federal Oral Diseases and Disorders Research program (CFDA 93.121), supports the development of an integrated dental plaque bioanalytical platform for point-of-care diagnostics of oral diseases. The key products and services to be delivered include: Detecting and quantifying hydrogen peroxide and lactate produced by beneficial and pathogenic oral bacteria using innovative...
NEXT GENERATION MEMS-VCSEL TECHNOLOGY FOR ULTRA-LOW-COST DENTAL AND PERIODONTAL SWEPT SOURCE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING - THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO ENABLE A NEW GENERATION OF HIGH-SPEED, LOW-COST, WAVELENGTH-FLEXIBLE SWEPT SOURCE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY (SS-OCT) IMAGING DEVICE TECHNOLOGY TARGETING APPLICATIONS IN DENTAL IMAGING AND BASED ON MICROELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS VERTICAL CAVITY SURFACE EMITTING LASERS (MEMS-VCSELS) AND PLANAR LIGHTWAVE CIRCUITS (PLCS). MEMS-VCSELS PROVIDE AN UNMATCHED COMBINATION OF HIGH AND VARIABLE AXIAL SCAN RATE, DYNAMIC SINGLE MODE OPERATION ENABLING LONG IMAGING RANGE, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LOW-COST VOLUME MANUFACTURING THROUGH WAFER SCALE FABRICATION AND TESTING. THE PROPOSED EFFORT INVOLVES A COLLABORATION BETWEEN PRAEVIUM RESEARCH, WHICH PIONEERED MEMS-VCSELS FOR SS-OCT, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (UW), A WORLD LEADER IN SS-OCT STRUCTURAL AND ANGIOGRAPHIC IMAGING IN DENTISTRY. THIS WORK SEEKS BOTH TO ADVANCE DENTAL IMAGING SCIENCE THROUGH NEW IMAGING TOOLS AND PROMOTE COMMERCIALIZATION IN COST-SENSITIVE DENTAL MARKETS. PRAEVIUM RESEARCH WILL DEVELOP NEW HIGH AXIAL SCAN RATE MEMS-VCSEL SWEPT SOURCES NEAR WATER ABSORPTION MINIMA AT 1700NM AND 2200NM, TO ENABLE LONGER IMAGING RANGE DUE TO REDUCED SCATTERING AT LONGER WAVELENGTHS. IMAGING AT THESE WAVELENGTHS MAY BE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IN IMPROVING THE ABILITY OF OCT TO NONINVASIVELY DETERMINE PERIODONTAL POCKET DEPTH. IN ADDITION, PRAEVIUM WILL COMBINE EMERGING ELECTRICALLY PUMPED MEMS-EVCSELS AT 1310NM WITH ADVANCED PLC TECHNOLOGY, REPLACING BULKY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE FIBER NETWORKS COMMONLY EMPLOYED IN SS-OCT BY LITHOGRAPHICALLY DEFINED WAVEGUIDE DEVICES. THIS WILL ALLOW A RADICALLY MINIATURIZED LOW-COST AND STABLE SS-OCT SUBSYSTEM WITH MEMS-VCSEL, OPTICAL AMPLIFIER, WAVELENGTH MONITORING, AND MZI INTERFEROMETERS ON A SINGLE CHIP IN A COMPACT BUTTERFLY PACKAGE, OVERCOMING LONG-STANDING COST BARRIERS TO SS-OCT IN DENTISTRY. UW COLLABORATORS WILL USE VARIOUS GENERATIONS OF HIGH AXIAL SCAN RATE MEMS-VCSELS, STARTING AT 1310NM AND MIGRATING TO 1700NM AND 2200NM AS THESE LATTER SOURCES ARE DEVELOPED, TO DEVELOP REAL-TIME WIDE FIELD OF VIEW (FOV) WHOLE MOUTH STRUCTURAL (OCT) AND LABEL-FREE ANGIOGRAPHIC (OCTA) PERIODONTAL IMAGING. CURRENT METHODS FOR ASSESSING PERIODONTAL DISEASE RELY ON INVASIVE PROBING, INDUCE UNNECESSARY PAIN AND BLEEDING, AND ARE ERROR-PRONE DUE TO INCONSISTENT FREQUENCY AND FORCE OF PROBING AND DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF GINGIVAL THICKNESS AND APPEARANCE. THE PROPOSED SS-OCT TECHNOLOGY, BY CONTRAST, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE IMAGING OF MICROSTRUCTURE AND VASCULATURE IN GINGIVAL TISSUE. THIS WILL ENABLE A COMPREHENSIVE PERIODONTAL IMAGING DIAGNOSTIC SUITE WHICH CAN ASSESS PERIODONTAL ATTACHMENT, ALVEOLAR BONE QUALITY AND LEVEL, GINGIVAL INFLAMMATION, SUB GINGIVAL CALCULUS PLAQUE AND TISSUE BIOTYPE. SUCH A SYSTEM CAN ALSO PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE MEANS TO DETERMINE AND EVALUATE THE PROGNOSIS OF PERIODONTAL, REGENERATIVE AND RESTORATIVE THERAPIES, IMPROVE COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN AND MACHINING (CAD/CAM) FOR DENTAL RESTORATIVE PROCEDURES AND PLANNING, AND BECOME A RELIABLE TOOL FOR LONG TERM MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE FOR ORAL HEALTH.