Link Skin Morphology and Vasculature with Diseases using Optical Imaging

Project Information

SkinOptima

Grant agreement ID: 894325

DOI

10.3030/894325

Project closed

EC signature date 24 April 2020

Start date 1 December 2020

End date 31 October 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 270 349,07

EU contribution

€ 270 349,07

Coordinated by

MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SkinOptima (Link Skin Morphology and Vasculature with Diseases using Optical Imaging)

Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2023-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The major problem being addressed is whether there is a link between cutaneous vasculature and skin diseases. So far, many research groups noticed that there are skin vasculature changes when there are skin diseases, but how to link the vasculature with diseases remain an open topic due to the lack of proper methods. This project aims to explore the use of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and photoacoustic tomography (PAT) to answer this question. Since OCTA can visualize the superficial plexus of human cutaneous vasculature and PAT can image the deep plexus of human cutaneous vasculature, combining OCTA and PAT should be able to give people a method to visualize in 3D the complete human cutaneous vasculature. When the whole vasculature is extracted from different patients, we can then analyze the vasculature in a quantitative manner so that a parametric approach can be taken to help accurate diagnosis of skin diseases directly using skin vasculature information.

In this action, a cohort of 66 human subjects were recruited and imaged using the OCTA machine developed within this project. These human subjects consisted of people suffering from various stages of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). The wide span from healthy subjects to skin ulcer subjects generated a complete spectrum of the disease progression. OCTA imaging was applied in a painless and non-invasive manner. All the images were then quantitatively analyzed. It was noticed that, along with the progression of the disease, skin vasculature showed different patterns. The quantitative analysis done in a parametric way was then confirmed by clinicians. This is the first study when OCTA was used for this type of phlebological disease. The microvasculature resolved using OCTA gave the clinicians a new way to help triage and treat skin diseases. Because CVI is affecting a huge portion of the elderly population, whereas OCTA scan is completely painless and non-invasive, the work carried out in this action has the potential to provide a new tool in the phlebology diagnosis procedure.

On top of OCTA, a PAT system was also developed and applied in clinical imaging. It was proven that with the help of PAT, the image penetration depth can be significantly enhanced. The combination of OCTA-PAT can therefore be used in wider applications in dermatology in addition to phlebology.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The dual modality imaging probe combining OCTA and PAT has been designed, assembled, and tested in real clinical settings. The reconstruction algorithms for OCTA and PAT are finished and tested. The segmentation and classification algorithms are developed and being evaluated. The clinical imaging sessions have been successfully accomplished. A total of 66 participants were recruited for this study. The results show that OCTA can provide valuable information to dermatologists.

Throughout the project, there are 6 peer reviewed publications acknowledging this grant. I attended 6 conferences (for 2 of them I got an invited talk). I was invited to present in 1 workshop.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This is the first work that trying to combine OCTA with PAT in the field of dermatological diagnosis. From the 66 participants, hundreds of volumes were acquired using the optical imaging methods. The developed segmentation, classification, and staging algorithms are supposed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of several skin diseases such as skin ulcer and skin cancer.

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