Tracking the temporal changes of tissue-bulk optical properties for time-resolved NIROT

Project type: MSc thesis

Abstract: The student will work on creating a method to obtain the bulk optical properties of a tissue using the data acquired from our TR-NIROT system Pioneer.

Keywords: NIROT, NIRS, optical tomography, time-resolved, absorption and scattering coefficients, cerebral hypoxia.

Date: autumn 2020

Our current project aims to measure the tissue oxygenation with high spatial resolution by processing data acquired using in-house designed system called Pioneer.

Pioneer is a time-resolved near-infrared optical tomography (TR-NIROT) system. The system emits NIR light pulses into the tissue, and the emerging photon arrival-times are registered. The time-of-flight data contains the most detailed information of the light-tissue interaction. With Pioneer we aim to measure in-vivo spatial distribution of the oxygenation state of the infant brain. The in-vivo obtention of optical properties is a challenging task and we need to monitor temporal changes in the bulk for an accurate reconstruction.

Goal: Measure the bulk optical properties to support the tomographic spatial reconstruction of the oxygenation state of the infant brain.

Qualification: The student should be ready for data processing and programming work. This project targets physics and biology. We are looking for a student with multidisciplinary formation that can acquire and apply the subject-specific knowledge. Experience in Matlab and C++ is very welcome.