Quantitative reflection holographic tomography for in-vivo analysis of biological specimens.
Currently, there is no biomedical imaging method capable of non-invasively providing the live, 3D quantitative refractive index (RI) distribution of a patient’s tissues. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), which is widely used in vivo, operates in reflection mode and cannot retrieve this quantitative data, leading to refraction-induced image distortions. On the other hand, Holographic Tomography (HT) successfully maps the refractive index but requires transmission mode (light passing through the sample), which restricts its use to ex vivo or in vitro samples and makes it impossible to use on live clinic patients.
The Re.HOT project directly addresses this limitation by aiming to break down the barrier between transmission HT and reflection OCT. Its core objective is to create the world’s first in vivo imaging method capable of recovering quantitative information about the 3D refractive index distribution of biological samples.
Solving this problem will revolutionize medical diagnostics by offering live pre- and intraoperative assessment of human tissues. A major societal benefit will be the realization of next-generation, painless laser vision correction procedures based on modifying the cornea’s refractive index—a procedure that currently cannot be introduced safely due to the lack of live RI monitoring tools. Furthermore, the project will significantly impact materials engineering and the photonics industry by enabling live quality control during micrometer-scale 3D printing (e.g., laser multiphoton polymerization) and precise validation of advanced photonic integrated circuits.
This work is supported by ERC grant Re.HOT 101221041. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.