Event
BIOE Seminar: Structural & functional single-cell imaging in vivo with multimodal AO retinal imaging
Friday, March 27, 2026
9:00 a.m.
A. James Clark Hall, Room #2121
Ian White
ianwhite@umd.edu
Andrew Bower
The University of Maryland, Baltimore
Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering in Medicine (CTEM)
Structural and functional imaging 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.
Bio:
Andrew Bower is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and is affiliated with the Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine and the Fischell Department of Bioengineering. His research focuses on advancing high-resolution multimodal translational imaging technologies to assess the structure and function of individual cells in patients with retinal disease. Prior to starting his lab at the University of Maryland, he completed his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois and postdoctoral training at the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health. He is a recipient of the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, and his lab’s current work aims to establish functional and metabolic retinal imaging biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of in vivo cellular dysfunction and disease.
