High resolution imaging of acne lesion development and scarring in human facial skin using OCT-based microangiography
Wausau, WI (April 13, 2015) – Research conducted by Utku Baran, Yuandong Li, Woo June Choi, Goknur Kalkan and Ruikang K. Wang was selected as Editor’s Choice in the March 2015 issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (LSM).
The manuscript titled, “High resolution imaging of acne lesion development and scarring in human facial skin using OCT-based microangiography” was published in LSM, the official journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS).
Acne is a common chronic skin inflammatory disease that often leads to scarring. Although there currently are techniques to assess the severity of acne, no grading system has been accepted universally. The authors of this study feel new research tools are needed to better understand the natural history, subtypes, and triggers of acne and to compare and improve the therapeutic efficacy of treatment products.
The aim of the study was to explore the feasibility of OMAG in detecting changes in microvasculature during acne lesion progress and to introduce a microvasculature-based biomarker in evaluating the treatment and grading of acne.
“This study was a little bit personal for me, as I struggled with acne vulgaris and its treatment in various forms”, said Utku Baran, M.Sc. “Our unique non-invasive optical microangiography technique presents an objective way of assessing acne vulgaris development within human skin. We expect this technique to enable future investigations that will eventually lead to a better patient care.”
Ruikang Wang, PhD. said, “We have been focused on engineering clinically useful, high resolution imaging techniques for early diagnosis, treatment and management of human diseases. Optical coherence tomography is increasingly getting popular in dermatology. Our methods improve this technology by non-invasively providing clinically useful functional microvascular network that innervates the skin tissue, giving a better chance of understanding the most common skin diseases in dermatology, acne vulgaris, from an angle has never been looked at before.”
Utku Baran received the BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from Koc University, Istanbul/Turkey, in 2010 and 2012, respectively. He is currently a PhD student in Department of Electrical Engineering at University of Washington, Seattle/USA. He is the author/co-author of more than 20 peer-reviewed research papers, and the co-inventor of 2 pending US patents. His interests include MEMS, displays, biomedical optics and neuroscience. He is a recipient of SPIE-Newport Research Excellence Travel Award.
Ruikang Wang, PhD, is currently a professor at the University of Washington with appointments in the Departments of Bioengineering and Ophthalmology, and directs the Biophontonics and Imaging Laboratory. He is the pioneer in the development of optical coherence tomography based microangiography technology. He is an elected fellow of Optical Society of America (OSA), International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). His current research interests include biophotonics and imaging, optical coherence tomography, optical microangiography, photoacoustic imaging and their applications in ophthalmology, dermatology, neurology and cancer.
J. Stuart Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., editor in chief of the Lasers in Surgery and Medicine journal commented on the study, "It is known that moving blood cells within patent vessels induces a change in optical scattering while static tissue does not. Based on this fact, R. Wang et. al developed a novel non-invasive imaging technique, called optical microangiography (OMAG), to map the functional blood flow network with capillary detail within the microcirculatory tissue beds in vivo. The authors demonstrated that OMAG is capable of visualizing and quantifying the three-dimensional structural and microvascular features of human skin in vivo during acne lesion initiation and scar development.”
Editor’s Choice is an exclusive article published in LSM, the official journal of the ASLMS. To view the complete manuscript, visit: aslms.org/professional/lsmeditorschoice
The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS) is the largest multi-disciplinary professional organization, dedicated to the development and application of lasers and related technology for health care applications. The ASLMS promotes excellence in patient care by advancing biomedical application of lasers and other related technologies worldwide. Currently, ASLMS has over 4,000 members, including physicians and surgeons representing more than 51 specialties, physicists involved in product development, biomedical engineers, biologists, nurses, industry representatives and manufacturers. For more information, visit aslms.org.
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