Research | Tong Ling Lab

In our lab, we develop interferometric imaging techniques (quantitative phase imaging, optical coherence tomography, etc.) for in-vitro and in-vivo biomedical applications, from uncovering nanoscopic biophysical dynamics of the cell membrane to discovering new biomarkers that address the unmet needs of functional assessment and disease diagnosis, particularly for the prediction of retinal diseases. By pushing the spatiotemporal resolution to the nanometer and millisecond scale, high-speed interferometric imaging opens the door to all-optical functional imaging, in cortical neurons, retinal ganglion cells and photoreceptors, without using fluorescent dyes or genetic markers. The non-invasive nature of optical interferometric techniques allows the long-term study of cellular activity. High-speed interferometric imaging also enables tracking single particle dynamics with nanometer precision and precise power titration for therapeutic approaches such as non-damaging retinal laser therapy.