Laser Speckle: from rapid speckle suppression to non-Invasive monitoring of blood flow

ABSTRACT

Laser speckle imaging is a powerful optical technique that offers non-invasive, cost-effective, and scalable approach to monitoring cerebral blood flow and blood volume. These features make laser speckles ideal for developing next-generation biomedical devices for imaging cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. In this talk, I will share my journey with laser speckle—from developing methods for rapid (nanosecond-scale) speckle suppression and the generation of high-purity laser beams to its use in mapping for contrast imaging of blood flow and vascular networks. I will also present our recent progress in designing a multi-site laser speckle imaging device capable of measuring cerebral blood flow noninvasively across multiple head locations, and its current application in cerebrovascular disorders such as stroke. Finally, I will discuss the future clinical applications of laser speckle imaging in blood flow monitoring.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Simon Mahler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. His speckle imaging lab focuses on the intersection of biophotonics, device engineering, cardiovascular research, and optical measurement. Dr. Mahler recent research focuses on developing novel laser speckle imaging techniques for visualizing blood flow in applications spanning neuroscience, embryology, and applied biomedical research. Dr. Mahler earned his PhD in Optical Physics and Complex Systems from the Weizmann Institute of Science and previously held a postdoctoral appointment in biophotonics at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Mahler is the recipient of the 2024 SPIE Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship for his research on non-invasive, real-time blood-flow monitoring in the human brain.