Michelle D. Simkulet

C-view omnidirectional endoscope for minimally invasive surgery/diagnostics

A novel omnidirectional endoscope which covers a field-of-view of ±135° away from the optical axis and 360° panoramically (3π steradians) can significantly improve the visual reality for in-vivo minimally invasive surgery and diagnostics. The inventive integration of a wide angle objective lens and catadioptric optics provides an omnidirectional viewing angle without severe optical distortion. Optical fibers/LEDs are used for illumination of the entire field-of-view. The omnidirectional viewing capability of this endoscope enables the user to visualize and relate positions in the entire operating field eliminating the need for registration when using multiple scopes. It also prevents repetitive insertions of conventional endoscopes with different direction of view and reduces the risk of misguidance due to the limited field-of-view of conventional endoscopes.

Development of an advanced digital detection system for multidrug resistant tuberculosis screening

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death in the world from a single infectious disease and the threat is becoming more critical with the emergence and spread of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Existing methods for detection of various strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis are complex, time consuming and expensive, and therefore, not suitable for use in developing countries where the spread of the disease is most rampant. Currently, a digital detection system based on advanced digital imaging technology, including CMOS and image intensification technology, is being developed by InterScience, Inc. for use with the luciferase reporter mycobacteriophages technique as developed at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. This compact, low cost and high sensitivity system for rapid diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing for TB will have an immediate impact for both research and clinical applications. It is envisioned that the instrument will be suitable for use as a portable tool for rapid screening of MDR-TB in both developed and developing countries. The development of the system, recent results and a comparison to competing technologies will be presented.

High-density FPGAs for real-time video processing

The use of an off-the-shelf general purpose processing system supplied by Giga Operations as applied to real-time video applications is described. The system is modular enough to be used in many scientific and industrial applications and powerful enough to maintain the throughput required for real-time video processing. This hardware and the associated programming environment has enabled InterScience to pursue research in real-time data compression, real-time Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) image processing, and industrial quality control and manufacturing. The system is based on Xilinx 4000 series field programmable gate arrays with associated static and dynamic random access memory in an architecture optimized for video processing on either the VL-Bus or PCI. This paper will focus on the design and development of a real-time frame subtractor for ESPI using this technology. Examples of the improvement in research capability provided by real-time frame subtraction are shown, including images from biomedical experiments. Further applications, based on this system are described. These include real-time data compression, quality control for production lines as part of an automated inspection system and a multi-camera security system allowing motion estimation to automatically prioritize camera selection.

Advanced development of the digital tuberculosis tester for MDR-TB screening

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death in the world from a single infectious disease, and the threat is becoming more critical with the spread of multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB). TB detection, and susceptibility testing for drug resistant strain identification, is advancing with the development of Luciferase Reporter Mycobacteriophages (LRM). LRM will emit visible light at very low intensity when in the presence of live mycobacteria cells such as Tuberculosis strains. InterScience, Inc., together with its collaboration, is developing a highly sensitive, real-time digital detection system for the analysis of luminescent assays. Recent advances in system sensitivity, design, and implementation, as well as preliminary results of the development of individual test cartridges, will be presented. The ultimate goal of this work is to provide a versatile luminescence detection tool for widespread research and clinical applications.