Rapid mechanical stimulation of inner-ear hair cells by photonic pressure

Hair cells, the receptors of the inner ear, detect sounds by transducing mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. From the top surface of each hair cell protrudes a mechanical antenna, the hair bundle, which the cell uses to detect and amplify auditory stimuli, thus sharpening frequency selectivity and providing a broad dynamic range. Current methods for mechanically stimulating hair bundles are too slow to encompass the frequency range of mammalian hearing and are plagued by inconsistencies. To overcome these challenges, we have developed a method to move individual hair bundles with photonic force. This technique uses an optical fiber whose tip is tapered to a diameter of a few micrometers and endowed with a ball lens to minimize divergence of the light beam. Here we describe the fabrication, characterization, and application of this optical system and demonstrate the rapid application of photonic force to vestibular and cochlear hair cells

Visualization 2: Miniature in vivo MEMS-based line-scanned dual-axis confocal microscope for point-of-care pathology

Mouse tongue at various depths Originally published in Biomedical Optics Express on 01 February 2016 (boe-7-2-251

Novel Balloon Surface Scanning Device for Intraoperative Breast Endomicroscopy

Recent advances in fluorescence confocal endomicroscopy have allowed real-time identification of residual tumour cells on the walls of the cavity left by breast conserving surgery. However, it is difficult to systematically survey the surgical site because of the small imaging field-of-view of these probes, compounded by tissue deformation and inconsistent probe-tissue contact when operated manually. Therefore, a new robotized scanning device is required for controlled, large area scanning and mosaicing. This paper presents a robotic scanning probe with an inflatable balloon, providing stable cavity scanning over undulating surfaces. It has a compact design, with an outer diameter of 4 mm and a working channel of 2.2 mm, suitable for a leached flexible fibre bundle endomicroscope probe. With the probe inserted, the tip positioning accuracy measured to be 0.26 mm for bending and 0.17 mm for rotational motions. Large area scanning was achieved (25–35 mm2) and the experimental results demonstrate the potential clinical value of the device for intraoperative cavity tumour margin evaluation