Feature Of The Week 2/12/12: Researchers at Yale University use OCT to Characterize Microfluidic Ciliary Induced Fluid Flow
Recently researchers at Yale University demonstrated a very novel application of optical coherence tomography using a Thorlabs OCT system. The research involved characterizing microfluidic flow of fluid driven by cilia. Below is a summary of this interesting novel application of OCT.Motile cilia are fingerlike projections from different epithelial surfaces that move in a periodic manner to generate directional fluid flow. For example, respiratory cilia generate a microfluidic-scale flow that moves pathogen and allergen-containing mucus out of the lungs. Defects in motile cilia lead to recurrent respiratory infections. Despite the importance of cilia in rare disease such as primary ciliary ...
