Browse Technologies

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Fluorescent labels having near-infrared (NIR) emission wavelengths have the ability to penetrate tissue deeper than other emission wavelengths, providing enormous potential for non-invasive imaging applications. However, advancement of optical imaging (particularly NIR imaging) is hindered by the limitation of narrow Stokes shift of most infrared dyes currently available in the market. Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel NIR dye (4-Sulfonir) for multichannel imaging that enables in vivo imaging of multiple targets due to its large Stokes shift. 4-Sulfonir with its unique large Stokes shift (~150 nm) and wide excitation spectrum could be used in parallel with other NIR dyes for imaging two molecular events simultaneously in one target.

Vanderbilt inventors have developed and tested a device (C-in) and method that would shift the current invasive, risky surgical procedure of cochlear implantation to a less invasive outpatient procedure.

Researchers at Vanderbilt have created a new approach to produce uniform radio frequency (RF) fields in the body during high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Existing high field MRI machines create non-uniform RF fields that lead to non-uniform sensitivity in the generated images, also referred to as "hot" and "cold" spots. These local variations interfere with the tissue contrast of the images that radiologists depend upon to make accurate diagnoses. By generating uniform RF fields in the body, this technology provides the benefits of high field MRI without the non-uniform RF fields.

A team of Vanderbilt researchers has developed a novel system and method for non-destructive characterization of compound lenses. The approach uses optical coherence tomography and reflectance confocal microscopy to fully characterize lens geometry and glass materials, enabling accurate modeling of compound lenses.