Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biomedical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Timothy Muldoon

Abstract

The study of the tumor microenvironment and tumor angiogenesis is an emerging area of interest for research and clinical communities. Understanding tumor progression is essential to developing cancer treatments and therapies. Current methods for monitoring the tumor microenvironment are limited in their ability to access a wide range of anatomical locations, specifically the gastrointestinal tract, without causing a non-physiological tumor response. In this study, we aim to develop a small-diameter multi-projection endoscopic imaging platform capable of many different scientific and clinical applications, including assessing tumor structure and perfusion. Due to the limited size available for an endoscopically compatible system, photon scattering follows a “transport regime” (as opposed to the diffusion regime). This requires novel approaches to processing image data to resolve the fine vascular and structural details within tissue. The platform consists of two key components, one being a microendoscopic probe that utilizes radially spaced illumination source fibers to capture two-dimensional images of optical phantoms modeled after biological tissue. The other component, Monte-Carlo-based photon propagation simulations modeled after the colon epithelium, provides information in depth. The combination of these two components allows for the creation of a three-dimensional spatial reconstruction of simulated tumor microvasculature embedded in a tissue of interest.

Keywords

Endoscopic imaging; cancer; imaging system; optics; diagnostics

Additional Files
EmbargoFile2.pdf (168 kB)
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