TMU PhD candidate is improving outcomes of pediatric cardiac surgery with photoacoustic brain imaging
TMU PhD candidate Filip Bodera is applying photoacoustic imaging techniques to make pediatric cardiac surgery safer.
A Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), PhD candidate and trainee at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST) and SickKids: The Hospital for Sick Children is applying photoacoustic imaging techniques to make pediatric cardiac surgery safer.
Filip Bodera is a Medical Physics PhD candidate with the Faculty of Science, co-supervised by TMU professor and iBEST co-director Michael Kolios and SickKids pediatric anesthesiologist Dr. Mark McVey.
“My research is trying to showcase a new application of photoacoustic imaging,” said Bodera. He explains that, in many cases, new brain lesions are found following cardiac surgery when the patient is placed on a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, which takes over heart and lung functions during the operation. Since large imaging machines like MRIs cannot be used during operations to check on patients, he is exploring the feasibility of using photoacoustic imaging to perform non-invasive, real-time monitoring of the brain during surgery. The information could advance our understanding of what causes this kind of brain damage and potentially aid prevention by optimizing procedures based on individual patients.
Bodera notes that using ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging techniques on the brain is challenging because adult human skulls are thick, so he is focusing on the applications for pediatric patients, as children’s skulls are usually thinner or, in the case of infants and young toddlers, not yet fully fused, making it more feasible to use photoacoustic imaging techniques effectively. Currently, he is testing the method with animal models by inducing neuro-inflammation followed by injection of a new photoacoustic contrast agent developed by collaborators at George Mason University.
Bodera has received a Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to support his work. Learn more about the federal government’s recent announcement of scholarship and fellowship awards. (external link, opens in new window)