Chen Receives an NIBIB Grant to Develop Imaging Probe to Monitor and Manage Women’s Health

UCI Beckman Laser Institute’s Zhongping Chen has been awarded a three-year $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Biomedical Engineering (NIBIB) to develop an imaging probe to monitor and manage vaginal health.

Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) affects up to 50% of women and negatively affects their quality of life with regard to general health and sexual function. Hormone therapy is the most commonly performed procedure to supplement the natural estrogen, however there are health risks associated with long-term therapy.

Recently, an alternative therapy has been proposed using fractional CO2 microablation that may benefit patients that cannot receive hormone therapies. Although laser microablation showed a clear benefit in dermatology, it remains controversial in female pelvic medicine. The main problem is that, without a clear indication to routinely perform an invasive biopsy for benign genitourinary changes, the pathophysiology of tissue response and factors leading to refractory symptoms remain poorly understood. This area of research would greatly benefit from non-invasive imaging technologies such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT).

The long-term goal of Chen’s study is to provide individualized patient management by screening patients who will benefit the most from laser therapy, optimize the laser duration and dose and assess the need for follow-up care. To achieve this goal, Chen and UCI’s Felicia Lane will develop a point-of-care endoscopic imaging system that combines OCT and OCT angiogram (OCTA) to obtain simultaneous information on structural and functional changes during vaginal laser treatment.

The endoscopic OCT/OCTA system will serve as a noninvasive biopsy tool in the gynecological practice and it can, noninvasively, provide structural and functional information about the tissue. This will provide clinicians and scientists with an important tool to screening the patients that will benefit from the laser, monitor the progression of laser therapy, and evaluate the tissue response from the laser treatment and further individualize treatment strategies. The research is expected to have a significant impact on image-guided laser therapy and the management of GSM.