WashU Awarded up to $20M to Create Portable Device to Scan for Eye Diseases
Chao Zhou, a professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has been working to improve optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems that can conduct high-resolution imaging of the eyes. Now, with an up to $20 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), he plans to create a portable OCT system based on photonic integrated circuits (PIC) and custom-designed electronic integrated circuits that could offer advanced eye screening to many more patients and at a lower cost, according to an article posted on the Washington University website.
The technology also could be used in other applications, such as cardiology, dermatology, dentistry, endoscopy and urology.
The contract is part of ARPA-H’s first call for proposals for unconventional approaches to improving health outcomes across patient populations, communities, diseases and health conditions through breakthrough research and technological advancements. It is the first ARPA-H contract awarded to Washington University.