Fibre Bundle
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In order to reach the deepest parts of the lung, we have been developing a bundle of miniaturised optical fibres, measuring just 1.4mm in diameter, that will be fed into a traditional bronchoscope.
.The bundle, named “Panoptes”, will be made up of three different fibres:
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Delivery Fibre:
Delivers our custom made SmartProbes into the deepest parts of the lung, which will bind to biological targets.
Imaging Fibre:
Collects the light that is emitted from the SmartProbe-bound biological target to form an image.
Sensing Fibre:
Senses surrounding physiological parameters, such as pH and oxygen levels, thanks to special molecules attached to the distal end.
- Delivery Fibre – A simple tube, which will allow clinicians to controllably inject a fluid containing SmartProbes into the deepest regions of the lung, and possibly even extract fluid samples for later analysis in the lab.
- Imaging Fibre – Made up of over 50,000 closely-spaced light-guiding cores, each acting as a single image pixel to create a high-resolution image. Our prototype has allowed us to develop the intricate fabrication techniques needed to make the fibre suitable for use in human patients.
- Sensing Fibre – So-called ‘reporter molecules’ are attached to the end of a fibre, in order to provide signals that inform the clinician about the environment around them when the fibre is inserted into the lung.
To date (July 2018), we have developed such a fibre bundle and are currently testing prototypes of this technology in the lab. Its design allows clinicians to accurately position and align the fibre when inside the lung.
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