# Instrumentation for Animal-Dedicated In Vivo Eye Imaging by Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

> **NIH NIH S10** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $297,148

## Abstract

Columbia University has a large and vigorous vision research community supported by the National Eye Institute
(NEI). The Department of Ophthalmology supports and develops clinically-oriented basic and translational
research directed towards deciphering the genetic, biochemical and pathological determinants of vision
threatening eye disease. This application proposes to advance ongoing NEI-funded research in the Department
by the acquisition of shared animal-dedicated Bioptigen SD-OCT (spectral domain optical coherence
tomography) instrumentation.
The wide range of ocular phenotypes studied by the Major and Minor Users together with the need to serve
mouse and rats calls for versatile SD-OCT capability providing an imaging depth that enables biometry and
measurement of axial length in mouse models of glaucoma and myopia while at the same time ensuring high
resolution images of tear film, corneal thickness, anterior and posterior chambers, and a minimum of 8 OCT
reflectivity bands in retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). These requirements will be met by clustering
the Bioptigen Envisu R2210 and R4310 units together with animal positioning stages (Leica Microsystems). This
system can be expanded if additional applications arise in the future. The advantage of in vivo OCT imaging is
that this non-invasive approach enables repetitive longitudinal data collection in the same animal, reduces the
time and cost associated with preparation of histological material and obviates artefacts inherent to histological
analysis. The Bioptigen Envisu SD-OCT system is state-of-the-art with unmatched level of image resolution. The
high-throughput capability will fuel advances in understanding disease mechanisms in glaucoma, myopia, dry
eye, cornea and inherited retinal degeneration.
This shared SD-OCT instrumentation will benefit 4 Major Users and 6 Minor Users. Collectively, the Major Users
are Principle Investigators on 7 R01 awards from NEI, all of which involve animal models. Taken together the
requested instrumentation will leverage 11 R01 grants. The requested instrumentation will augment the funded
Aims of these R01s by enabling in vivo quantitation not currently feasible in our laboratories. These
measurements include quantitation of tear film, corneal thickness and topography, anterior chamber angle, lens,
axial length and the same OCT reflectivity layers of retina that are also the target of analysis in human retinal
disease. The Bioptigen SD-OCT will complement the Imaging Core facility supported by 5P30EY019007-08
(Core Facilities for Vision Research), facilitate collaboration among members of the Columbia vision research
community and importantly, will provide SD-OCT training for Ph.D. students supported by the Vision Sciences
training grant (5T32EY013933-18).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9939763
- **Project number:** 1S10OD028637-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Janet Ruthe Sparrow
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $297,148
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-16 → 2021-09-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9939763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9939763, Instrumentation for Animal-Dedicated In Vivo Eye Imaging by Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (1S10OD028637-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9939763. Licensed CC0.

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