NSF Award
1906142
The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project involves the advancement of novel imaging modalities and improved surgical decision making allowing for earlier surgical intervention. This technology will advance science and medicine by providing a novel diagnostic tool to create a virtual biopsy. This eliminates the need to physically cut and remove tissue for assessment and imaging. This technology is particularly important in assessing tissues that cannot be removed without damage, such as neurologic tissue. By utilizing this technology, surgeons will have more information about a particular tissue or injury, allowing for improved early surgical decision making, potentially improved patient outcomes and decreased medical costs. <br/><br/>This I-Corps project is intended to continue the development of a surgical laser microscope to image tissue intra-operatively. Peripheral nerve injuries are complex pathologies that leave some mystery as to their prognosis at the time of injury. Often times, this leads to a clinical observation period of up to a year during which the nerve is non-functional. The ability to visualize, quantify and assess the prognosis of these injuries a priori would allow for earlier intervention and thus improved clinical outcomes.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
