Andrew Bower

Structural and functional assessment of individual cells in the living human eye with multimodal adaptive optics retinal imaging

Abstract:

Adaptive optics, a technology originally developed for astronomy to correct for atmospheric turbulence in ground-based telescopes, has enabled cellular-resolution imaging of individual retinal cells by compensating for optical aberrations inherent to the living human eye. In this talk, I will describe our recent work using multimodal adaptive optics imaging approaches that combine scanning light ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography to map the three-dimensional cellular landscape of the living human retina. Integrating these imaging technologies into a single platform provides complementary and corroborating information and offers unique insight into the status of individual retinal cells in vivo. I will also discuss our lab’s recent efforts to move beyond structural imaging toward functional assessment of individual retinal neurons and epithelial cells. These functional imaging approaches may open new opportunities to study early cellular dysfunction in retinal disease and monitor therapeutic interventions at the cellular level.

Speaker: Andrew Bower, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Andrew Bower is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he leads a research lab focused on the development of cellular-resolution ophthalmic imaging technologies to investigate the onset and progression of retinal disease. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, developing label-free multiphoton microscopy techniques for cellular metabolic imaging. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maryland, Dr. Bower was a research fellow with the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health, where he led efforts to design and deploy next-generation multimodal adaptive optics imaging instrumentation at the NEI eye clinic. His work has been recognized by multiple awards, including the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. His lab now focuses on developing advanced imaging tools to assess cell function in the living human eye.

Host: Arpita Upadhayaya

Seminars start at 4:00 pm, and refreshments will be served at 3:45 pm. All seminars are held in the 2136 Physical Sciences Complex (#415) unless otherwise noted.