Fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) reveals the brain's best-kept secrets

Robert C. Sergott, MD, of Wills Eye Hospital, presented during the New Technology session at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS), 13-14 June, in Heidelberg, Germany.

During his lecture, Dr Sergott discussed fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO), an emerging imaging modality for ophthalmic and neurologic pathologies. He highlighted the potential FLIO demonstrates in diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring for retinal disease and neurodegeneration.

According to Dr Sergott, FLIO's relationship to optical coherence tomography (OCT) mirrors that association between positron emission tomography (PET) was to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In other words, FLIO is ushering clinicians from structural imaging toward functional imaging. Dr Sergott is the Margaret and Richard Hayne Distinguished Director at the Annesley EyeBrain Center at Jefferson University, partnered with Wills Eye Hospital. There, he and his colleagues are focused on using FLIO to distinguish patterns of mitochondrial dysfunction and protein misfolding which can be biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer andParkinson disease.

Watch the full video to hear more about the promise of FLIO, including the possibility of personalised disease modeling, drug testing and more.