title: Handheld multispectral fluorescence lifetime imaging system for in vivo applications.
abstract: There is an increasing interest in the application of fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) for medical diagnosis. Central to the clinical translation of FLIM technology is the development of compact and high-speed clinically compatible systems. We present a handheld probe design consisting of a small maneuverable box fitted with a rigid endoscope, capable of continuous lifetime imaging at multiple emission bands simultaneously. The system was characterized using standard fluorescent dyes. The performance was then further demonstrated by imaging a hamster cheek pouch in vivo, and oral mucosa tissue both ex vivo and in vivo, all using safe and permissible exposure levels. Such a design can greatly facilitate the evaluation of FLIM for oral cancer imaging in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, 3120 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Shuna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, 3120 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Rodrigo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cuenca
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, 3120 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Boang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, 3120 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Bilal H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, 3120 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Joey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jabbour
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, 3120 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Maitland
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Texas A&M University Health Science Center-Baylor College of Dentistry, 3302 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Texas A&M University Health Science Center-Baylor College of Dentistry, 3302 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246, USA.
authors.forename: Yi-Shing Lisa
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, 3120 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Javier A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jo
keywords: (170.2150) Endoscopic imaging; (170.2520) Fluorescence microscopy; (170.3650) Lifetime-based sensing; (170.3890) Medical optics instrumentation