October 21
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12:00 PM
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1:00 PM
Nature-Inspired Metasurfaces for Next-Generation Imaging and Diagnostics
Lisa Poulikakos, PhD
Assistant Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of California San Diego
Abstract:
The origin and progression of a variety of leading health challenges, encompassing Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, fibrosis and cancer, are directly linked to changes in the presence and orientation of fibrous matter in biological tissue. Fibrous biological tissue exhibits distinct anisotropic optical properties, which can be leveraged for selective imaging. However, these naturally occurring light-matter interactions are inherently weak, posing barriers to their visualization in a clinically translatable manner. Here, we leverage the strengths of nanoscale optics to scale down and enhance light-matter interactions. We draw inspiration from structural color in nature to develop anisotropic, colorimetric metasurfaces, which exhibit a polarization-sensitive optical response. We demonstrate the potential of these nature-inspired metasurfaces to selectively visualize disease-relevant fiber density and orientation in biological tissue. Starting with the example of breast cancer diagnostics, we then expand our view to the rich palette of fiber-affecting diseases where metasurfaces hold great potential to achieve rapid, precise and low-cost tissue diagnostics with facile clinical implementation.
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