The technology behind a novel ultrathin endomicroscope and its application in neuroscience

This talk will introduce the technology behind a novel ultrathin endomicroscope and its application in neuroscience. At Modendo, we develop ultrathin endomicroscopes that provide a minimally invasive access to any region of the brain in animal models. The system is adapted for real time in-vivo imaging of neuronal activity, and photo-stimulation. The novel optical probes used have a small footprint, with diameters ranging from 60μm up to 200μm, and different terminations depending on the end user needs. These narrow probes can be inserted easily into the brain without any brain aspiration. Due to their narrow profile, they can be used acutely, by inserting them with greater precision between major blood vessels, reducing the risk of hematoma. Here, I will show the last in-vivo results using our prototype system and discuss the advantages and limitations of this new technology.

More about the speaker, Antonio M. Caravaca

Antonio M. Caravaca is VP of Engineering at Modendo Inc, a startup company based in Boulder, Colorado. He received a Physics degree from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research interests are computational imaging and wavefront shaping for biomedical applications. He has developed systems for imaging through dynamic scattering media such as tissue, and endoscopic systems combining fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging for high resolution multimodal imaging. Now at Modendo, he oversees the development of a new endomicroscopy system for neuroscience as the PI of two Small Business and Innovation Research grants.