Ocular Imaging and Biomechanics Lab
We aim to understand how tissue biomechanics play a role in ocular pathophysiology. We use high-frequency ultrasound elastography to image the eye’s complex responses to intrinsic or applied mechanical loading. High-frequency ultrasound at 20-50MHz offers an ideal combination of resolution, tissue penetration, and displacement sensitivity for non-invasive characterization of ocular tissue biomechanics. We are translating the techniques to the clinics by developing elastography methods that are safe and quick to evaluate biomechanics in the living human eye.
Current research
Glaucoma is a prevalent disease in the elderly that significantly impairs vision and reduces quality of life. The optic nerve is the “cable” transmitting visual signals from the eye to the brain. The optic nerve head (ONH) is the beginning part of the nerve that starts from inside the eye. The ONH and its surrounding tissue are the critical sites of damage in the disease of glaucoma. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a primary risk factor for glaucoma. However, it remains unclear how IOP acts on the eye to produce damage at the ONH and what factors influencing such damage. We have developed a high-resolution ultrasound elastography method to map and quantify the deformation in the posterior eye. Our results showed that IOP-related mechanical insults are localized in specific regions, particularly in the anterior ONH and such insult is higher in older age. We also showed that compression is the primary mode of deformation in this region.
Grant:
- Columbus Foundation Ann Ellis Fund
Selected Papers:
- S Kwok, Y Ma, X Pan, J Liu*, Three-dimensional ultrasound elastography detects age-related increase in anterior peripapillary sclera and optic nerve head compression during IOP elevation, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2023, 64(7):16. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.64.7.162
- S Kwok, M Pan, N Hazen, X Pan, J Liu*, Mechanical Deformation of Peripapillary Retina in Response to Acute Intraocular Pressure Elevation, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 2022 Jun 1;144(6):061001. doi: 10.1115/1.4053450
- Y Ma, S Kwok, J Sun, X Pan, E Pavlatos, K Clayson, N Hazen, and J Liu*, IOP-induced regional displacements in the optic nerve head and correlation with peripapillary sclera thickness, Experimental Eye Research, 2020, 200:108202, doi.org/10.1016/j.exer.2020.108202, PMID: 32861767, PMCID: PMC7655654
- Y Ma, E Pavlatos, K Clayson, S Kwok, X Pan, Liu, J*. Three-Dimensional Inflation Response of Porcine Optic Nerve Head Using High-Frequency Ultrasound, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering 2020, 142(5):051013, doi.org/10.1115/1.4045503
- Y Ma, E Pavlatos, K Clayson, X Pan, S Kwok, T Sandwisch, and J Liu*. Mechanical Deformation of Human Optic Nerve Head and Peripapillary Tissue in Response to Acute IOP Elevation, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2019;60:913–920. doi:10.1167/iovs.18-26071
- E Pavlatos, Y Ma, K Clayson, X Pan, and J Liu*. Regional Deformation of the Optic Nerve Head and Peripapillary Sclera During IOP Elevation, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 59(7): 3779-3788, 2018
principal Investigator
Dr. Jun Liu
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Professor, Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences
(614) 247-8904
liu.314@osu.edu
Biography
Dr. Jun Liu is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The Ohio State University. Her research interest is in tissue biomechanics and ultrasound imaging. Her laboratory has developed high-performance ultrasound elastography and imaging methods to characterize complex 3D biomechanical responses of ocular tissue aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases such as keratoconus and glaucoma. Dr. Liu has been a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator for NIH-funded projects to develop innovative methods for characterizing ocular biomechanics in vivo and investigating their roles in ocular pathophysiology. She collaborates with researchers in Ophthalmology, Optometry, Veterinary Medicine, Neuroscience, and Bioinformatics. She has a courtesy appointment in Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and graduate faculty status in College of Optometry and Biophysics Interdisciplinary Program. She has been a research adviser for postdocs, PhD/MS students, medical students, and undergraduate students; and a mentor for junior faculty at OSU and other institutes. Dr. Liu teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in BME. She is currently the Director of Graduate Studies at BME.
Expertise
Ocular biomechanics, high-frequency ultrasound, ultrasound elastography, mechanical testing, bioimaging, glaucoma, corneal biomechanics, optic nerve head biomechanics, scleral biomechanics, intraocular pressure
Undergraduate Students
Education: BS Biomedical Engineering 2024
Interests: Artificial intelligence, Image enhancement, Automatic segmentation
Plans: Master, Industry
Hometown: Tehran, Iran / Mason, OH
Alumni
Sunny Kwok
Ph.D. Student in Biomedical Engineering
The Ohio State University
EDUCATION
BS, Biomedical Engineering
The Ohio State University
Nicholas Hazen
Elias Pavlatos
Tommy Sandwisch
Yanhui Ma
Post Doctoral Researcher in Biomedical Engineering
The Ohio State University
EDUCATION
PhD, Computational Mechanics and Advanced Materials, School of Engineering
Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd
BS, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, School of Aerospace Engineering
Beijing Institute of Technology
Research Assistant
The Ohio State University
EDUCATION
BS, Biomedical Engineering
The Ohio State University
Keyton Clayson
PhD Candidate in Biophysics
The Ohio State University
EDUCATION
MS, Biophysics
The Ohio State University
BS, Physics, Applied Mathematics
University of Utah
4002 Fontana Laboratories140 W 19th AveColumbus, OH 43210-1110
liu.314@osu.edu
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