OCT can be a vital technology in several academic areas, including engineering, physics and biology. For instance, Bio-Engineering students can use OCT imaging as part of their biomedical and pharmaceutical testing and research programs. They can also learn how to build custom OCT imaging systems to meet a specific scientific or commercial need. OCT can deepen students’ understanding of integrated optics, electronics, photonics, and mechanical systems. It's also valuable for Electrical Engineering or Physics majors who have an interest in electronics, photonics, signal processing, Fourier transforms, programming, hardware development. Even Biology students can leverage OCT images, thanks to its ability to display up to the first 1-2 millimeters of live tissues' surface layer (in vivo). Lumedica’s OQ LabScope brings medical grade OCT imaging to a price point and form factor compatible with the undergraduate and graduate laboratory environment and budget.

OCT allows you to take your life science research further, faster. Similar to ultrasound, OCT is an effective technology to look beneath the surface of samples without having to cut them open. But instead of sound, light is used to create a 2D or 3D tomogram, an image built up slice by slice. OCT fills the imaging gap between microscopy and ultrasound, able to image a few millimeters deep into tissues with 5 to 10 micron imaging resolution.

OCT is proven particularly effective in imaging eye tissues such as the retina and cornea, but can also be used to examine skin, teeth, and soft tissues throughout the body. The technology can offer unique capabilities for animal imaging ranging from mice and rats to rabbits, and even
dogs, cats and swine.

Previously OCT has been a difficult technology to adopt since it may be priced out of the lab environment with system costs in the $50K to $150K range and requiring a large footprint.

Lumedica’s OQ LabScope brings a whole new source of image data to the life science researcher with a price point and form factor that makes OCT accessible for biology laboratories.

In Biology, OCT provides the unique ability to image developing organisms without the need to sacrifice them. Cross sectional imaging can be used to examine tissue structures to assess phenotypes as they develop. OCT has also found a use in the field of Regenerative Medicine, where it is critical to study engineered tissues and scaffolds non-destructively.

OCT can measure layer thicknesses, identify voids, and map topography. Examples: car paint thickness and uniformity, pill coatings, and other protective coatings. OCT can also be used in spoof-proof fingerprint scanners to validate or authorize device access.
OCT has been an effective tool for authenticating original works of art and detecting counterfeit currency. In addition, OCT provides precise, real-time hole depth and cutting profile measurement for laser cutters and has been used to inspect seams in welding systems to ensure proper bonding. OCT has even found a place in the growing world of Robotics, where OCT is being explored as a means to provide provide 3
dimensional depth imaging to robotic systems.

OCT has become an established pre-clinical imaging technology along with MRI, CT, Ultrasound, and Microscopy. As new pharmaceuticals and medical devices move from development to trial to regulatory approval, OCT images can captured, catalogued into databases that provide reliable evidence of efficacy. OCT has already proven valuable in dermatology, dentistry, otolaryngology, otology and of course, ophthalmology.

Due to its inherent ability to see through and into targets, OCT has become a smart, supporting technology for many commercial and medical instruments and systems. Lumedica’s compact, patented and affordable OCT system development allows for a broad range of OEM applications. Let us know your manufacturing specs and we’ll customize our OCT light engine to suit your application. Here’s why we could be an effective OEM partner:

+ We’re innovative: Despite having OCT patents already in place, we’re always ready to address new challenges.
+ We’re affordable: We want to build tools that are accessible to you and your customers.
+ We’re collaborative: We’re scientists with a proven track record of building successful technologies with partners.
+ We’re adaptable: We’re willing to explore how OCT can impact new applications and scientific fields
+ Our OCT is compact: Our light engine can be installed inside a shoebox, or an even smaller vessel, leaving plenty of room for other functionality.