Team Members: Robert Chen, Shayan Fakurnejad, Ha Sung (Leo) Moon, Kimberly Chan
Capstone Client: Michael Ward, MD, PhD, Resident Physician of Neurology at UCSF; Ari Green, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology at UCSF
Purpose: One method to diagnose and monitor the progression of neurodegenerative diseases in mice models is the imaging of the retina by a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO). However, SLO systems designed for humans need to be adapted to function optimally with mice. A lack of appropriate restraint systems and imaging procedures for use with mice result in suboptimal retinal images and can result in corneal clouding. To solve these problems, our team developed a restraint system for high resolution movement of an SLO about the fixed point of a mouse retina, a telescoping lens attachment, and a laser alignment system to adapt an SLO for use with mice.