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Novel ultrasound technology for vision restoration and high-resolution image

Qifa Zhou, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, & Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Wegmans Hall 1400

Abstract: Retinal degeneration involving progressive deterioration and loss of function of photoreceptors is a major cause of permanent vision loss worldwide. Strategies to treat these incurable conditions incorporate retinal prostheses via electrically stimulating surviving retinal neurons with implanted devices in the eye, optogenetic therapy and sonogenetic therapy. Existing challenges of these strategies include invasive manner, complex implantation surgeries, and risky gene therapy. In this talk, we will show that focused ultrasound stimulation on the retina can evoke neuron activities from the visual centers including the superior colliculus and the primary visual cortex (V1), in either normal-sighted or retinal degenerated blind rats in vivo. The neuron activities induced by the customized spherically focused 3.1-MHz ultrasound transducer have shown both good spatial resolution and temporal resolution of 5 Hz in the rat visual centers. An additional customized high frequency transducer/array were further implemented to generate static stimulation pattern of letter forms. Our findings demonstrate that ultrasound stimulation of the retina in-vivo is a safe and effective approach with high spatiotemporal resolution, indicating a promising future of ultrasound stimulation as a novel and non-invasive visual prosthesis for translational applications in blind patient. In addition, high resolution flow image of vessel and elastography of the ocular tissue as well as OCE image will be introduced. 

Bio: Qifa Zhou is currently a full professor of Biomedical Engineering and Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California. Dr. Zhou is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in journals including Nature Medicine, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Photonics, Nature Communication, BME Frontiers and Science Advances.  His research focuses on the high-frequency ultrasonic elastography, stimulation on ocular tissue, intravascular and photoacoustic/OCT imaging on the biomedical applications.