Zihao Ou | Achieving optical transparency in live animals with absorbing molecules
Foresight Institute Molecular Machines Group
Achieving optical transparency in live animals with absorbing molecules
Bio: Dr. Zihao Ou is an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Science Program and the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Dallas. He earned his B.S. in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2015 and completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020. During his doctoral studies, he pioneered the study of liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy on nanomaterials self-assembly [Nature Materials, 2020]. After that, Dr. Ou joined Stanford University as an interdisciplinary scholar at the Wu-Tsai Neuroscience Institute, where he developed an innovative technique that rendered endogenous tissue transparent, enabling high-resolution imaging [Science, 2024]. Dr. Ou’s research focus lies at the intersection of fundamental physical principles and cutting-edge genetic and molecular advancements, to create advanced imaging platforms that allow real-time monitoring of materials and biological processes in their native environments.
Abstract: Dynamic imaging is a pivotal tool for answering complex scientific questions across physics and biology. However, traditional optical imaging platforms are hampered by the inadequate penetration depth in biological tissues, which restricts our understanding of dynamic behaviors at the fundamental level. The complex structure of biological matter, while enabling a tremendous diversity of functions, also causes opacity due to unwanted scattering and absorption of light, which limits the penetration depth of optical imaging. In this talk, I will discuss the utilization of photonics engineering to achieve optical transparency in biological tissues. The turbid of the tissue originates from the microscale refractive index heterogeneity of the biological tissue. Light scattering in tissue originates from the difference between low refractive index aqueous-based components (e.g., the interstitial fluid and cytosol) and high refractive index lipid- and protein-based components (e.g., the plasma membrane, myelin, and myofibrils). Leveraging Kramers-Kronig relations in the visible region, we integrate molecules that significantly absorb light into a scattering medium and transform an opaque sample into a transparent window, allowing deep investigation into embedded anatomical features. Utilizing this innovation, I have developed non-invasive imaging techniques to analyze the dynamics of neural networks in the peripheral nervous system, without the need for complex surgery. These innovations not only expand the toolbox available for high-resolution dynamic imaging but also underscore the potential of photonics to revolutionize our understanding of complex material and biological systems.
Foresight Institute Molecular Machines Group
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