{"id":36434,"date":"2022-04-24T17:08:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T21:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/?p=36434"},"modified":"2025-03-30T12:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T16:54:08","slug":"novel-miniature-computational-imaging-system-to-advance-brain-imaging-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/novel-miniature-computational-imaging-system-to-advance-brain-imaging-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Miniature Computational Imaging System Advances Brain Imaging Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Computational Miniature Mesoscope (CM2) is a \u201cwearable\u201d miniaturized neural imaging device to monitor freely-moving mice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ability to study and learn about the brain hinges on what technology is available. <\/span>CISE faculty affiliate, Lei Tian<\/strong><\/a> (ECE, BME) is leading the development of a n<\/span>ovel miniature computational imaging system to advance brain imaging technology.<\/p>\n

Tian (ECE, BME), was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance the development of the Computational Miniature Mesoscope (CM<\/span>2<\/span>). The CM<\/span>2<\/span> is a \u201cwearable\u201d miniaturized neural imaging device that Tian has been developing in collaboration with Professors <\/span>David A. Boas<\/span><\/a> (BME, ECE) and <\/span>Ian G. Davison<\/span><\/a> (Biology) since the concept was first funded through a Dean\u2019s Catalyst award in 2018, internal support from BU Neurophotonics Center<\/a>, and later <\/span>prototyped<\/span> through a subsequent NIH BRAIN initiative R21 grant.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith this R01 grant, we want to take CM<\/span>2<\/span> from a proof-of-concept prototype to a more mature technology so that it can be broadly impactful and adopted in the neuroscience community,\u201d says Tian.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One issue with the current technology is that the imaging devices are still too large and heavy for small animals like mice to wear while moving freely during the in-vivo neural recording. An important component of CM<\/span>2<\/span> is its wearability, which will allow scientists to record neuronal activities on freely moving mice. For this to be successful, the device needs to be extremely light and can weigh only < 4 grams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the cortex of the mouse, there are tens of thousands of neurons firing in distinctive patterns depending on the brain\u2019s activity. The project aims to capture a complete picture of brain activity across the entire mouse cortex while maintaining single-neuron resolution. The technology explores miniature optics and advanced computational algorithms to achieve novel capabilities beyond conventional technologies. To enable imaging across multiple spatial scales, the device uses an array of microlenses, inspired by insect eyes, to provide a full-cortex, high-resolution picture of the cortex, and enables 3D imaging to accommodate for the cortical curvature. \u201cTypically, these are competing factors,\u201d says Tian. \u201cImages either have a high resolution or a wide field of view. We\u2019re using the computational imaging approach to overcom<\/span>e these tradeoffs.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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From left, Principal Investigator Lei Tian (ECE, BME) with Co-Investigators David Boas (BME, ECE) and Ian Davison (BIO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The CM<\/span>2<\/span> will capture calcium dynamics expressed in fluorescence intensities emitted from the brain of transgenic mice. A critical part of Tian\u2019s project lies in using highly efficient LED light to excite the fluorescence. The CM<\/span>2<\/span> presents a novel design, using an LED array and 3D-printed freeform optics to excite fluorescence with high light efficiency throughout the entire cortical surface.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team working on CM<\/span>2<\/span> has a multidisciplinary background which has enabled them to develop the innovative technology demonstrated in CM<\/span>2<\/span>. The team features Principal Investigator Tian, who has expertise in computational microscopy and deep learning for biomedical optics, co-Investigator Boas, whose background is in biomedical optics and neurophotonics, and co-Investigator Davison, an expert in wearable microscopes. \u201cThere needs to be a bridge between technology and application,\u201d Tian explained. \u201cBoas and Davison have the unique expertise to help translate the technology from my optics lab to a device that is attractive to the broad neuroscience community.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more about the project <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ability to study and learn about the brain hinges on what technology is available. CISE faculty affiliate, Lei Tian (ECE, BME) is leading the development of a novel miniature computational imaging system to advance brain imaging technology. Tian (ECE, BME), was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18553,"featured_media":36456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[127,201,76],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36434"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18553"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36434"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40994,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36434\/revisions\/40994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}