[CCoE Notice] Dissertation Defense - Achuth Nair

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[Dissertation Defense Announcement at the Cullen College of Engineering]
Heartbeat Optical Coherence Elastography:
A Method for Passive Biomechanical Assessment of the Cornea
Achuth Nair

April 21, 2022; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (CST)
Location: 280-Smith Wensveen Conference Room , Health & Biomedical Sciences Building 1
Teams: Link<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19*3ameeting_OTJlODE3ZjYtNWNlOC00YmNiLWFkMzUtMjZlMDA1OTM1ZGZh*40thread.v2/0?context=*7b*22Tid*22*3a*22170bbabd-a2f0-4c90-ad4b-0e8f0f0c4259*22*2c*22Oid*22*3a*22b30dfe02-e8ee-4b31-956a-ea842272fcbd*22*7d__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!LkSTlj0I!GlMyJXSFXe4sHD9FqHUiMmupQ-yMcSvRLb93D1j5zbCkkPHqveTJQAvNV-U8jcxm0L67VvJN20x3w7TZVERQoII$>

Committee Chair:
Kirill V. Larin, Ph.D.

Committee Members:
Salavat R. Aglyamov, Ph.D. | Michael D. Twa, Ph.D. | Geunyoung Yoon, Ph.D. | Yingchun Zhang, Ph.D. | Nuri F. Ince, Ph.D.

Abstract

The biomechanical properties of the cornea are known to play a role in the development of ocular disease. Furthermore, various treatments and surgical interventions performed on the cornea may also alter these mechanical properties. Since changes in tissue biomechanical properties are known to precede changes in structure and function, tools that can measure these properties may be invaluable for diagnostics and personalized treatment planning. Optical coherence elastography (OCE) is a highly effective tool for measuring the cornea's biomechanical properties. OCE is a functional extension of optical coherence tomography (OCT), a high-resolution optical imaging modality commonly used in the clinic for imaging ocular tissues. OCE works in principle by using OCT to detect a tissue's response to an induced displacement. This dissertation describes the development of a novel, completely passive optical elastography technique known as heartbeat optical coherence elastography (Hb-OCE). This technique measures corneal stiffness in response to the heartbeat-induced ocular pulse.
First, the initial development and application of the Hb-OCE technique are demonstrated ex vivo. Hb-OCE successfully detects mechanical contrast in the cornea before and after a collagen cross-linking treatment to induce corneal stiffening. Second, Hb-OCE is used in combination with more established optical elastography techniques to investigate the effects of collagen XII deficiency on the stiffness of the murine cornea. Collagen XII is known to play a role in corneal structure and function. Assessing the effects of proteins like collagen XII on corneal biomechanical properties can help reveal the underlying effects of the molecular components of the cornea on its structure and function. Next, the Hb-OCE technique is translated in vivo, and corneal stiffness is detected as a function of the ocular pulse. Finally, the passive Hb-OCE technique is combined with the active compression OCE technique for one of the first applications of multimodal OCE to measure the mechanical properties of the cornea in vivo. Furthermore, the ability of the Hb-OCE technique to map mechanical contrast is also demonstrated.

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