Song Hu, PhD

Optical and photoacoustic imaging

My research is centered on the development of cutting-edge optical and photoacoustic technologies for high-resolution structural, functional, metabolic and molecular imaging in vivo and their applications in basic and translational research of a wide range of neurovascular disorders. In particular, I have pioneered photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), an emerging technology uniquely capable of high-resolution imaging of the optical absorption contrast. Using multi-parametric PAM invented in my group, I was the first to demonstrate simultaneous imaging of blood perfusion, oxygenation and flow at the microscopic level. Combining multi-parametric PAM and segmentation-based single-vessel analysis, I have developed a first-of-a-kind hardware-software platform for comprehensive and quantitative characterization of the cerebral microvasculature, including the structure, mechanical property, hemodynamics, and associated tissue oxygen extraction fraction and metabolism. This platform opens numerous new opportunities for studying the role of small-vessel pathology in a broad range of brain diseases.

More about the Hu Multimodal Imaging & Sensing Lab (MISL)

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