Existing photoacoustic phantoms are inadequate for mimicking the complex microvascular structures found in human tissue due to their inability to replicate varying sizes and distri- butions of vasculature. This limitation underscores the need for a new material capable of replicating intricate microvascular networks. In this thesis, we introduce loofah as a novel natural phantom material with complex fiber networks ranging from 50 to 400 μm, enabling the fabrication of phantoms with controlled optical properties comparable to those of human microvasculature.
By incorporating a controllable chromophore into the loofah material, we adjusted its ab- sorption properties to match desired specifications. The vasculature-mimetic capabilities and stability in photoacoustic signal generation of the loofah were evaluated using co-registered ultrasound, acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ARPAM), and optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ORPAM).
Our ORPAM results confirmed the loofah’s ability to control chromophore distribution, leading to consistent and regulated photoacoustic signals. ARPAM results demonstrated that the loofah phantom effectively replicates vascular structures, exhibiting superior performance in mimicking microvascular networks compared to commonly used tissue-mimetic phantoms. The dominant diameter range of the phantom’s microvasculature was between 100–250 μm,
aligning well with the targeted range and facilitating meaningful comparisons with human vascular structures. Furthermore, we experimented with mixed chromophores to extend the loofah phantom’s application for testing the extended functional capabilities of photoacoustic imaging.
In conclusion, loofah material provides a low-cost and effective method for creating submil- limeter microvascular phantoms for photoacoustic imaging. Its exceptional morphology and customizability allow it to be shaped into various vascular network configurations, enhancing the fidelity of phantom imaging and assisting in system calibration and validation. Addi- tionally, data obtained from this realistic microvascular phantom offer greater opportunities for training machine learning models.
","abstract_html":"<p>Existing photoacoustic phantoms are inadequate for mimicking the complex microvascular structures found in human tissue due to their inability to replicate varying sizes and distri- butions of vasculature. This limitation underscores the need for a new material capable of replicating intricate microvascular networks. In this thesis, we introduce loofah as a novel natural phantom material with complex fiber networks ranging from 50 to 400 μm, enabling the fabrication of phantoms with controlled optical properties comparable to those of human microvasculature.</p> <p>By incorporating a controllable chromophore into the loofah material, we adjusted its ab- sorption properties to match desired specifications. The vasculature-mimetic capabilities and stability in photoacoustic signal generation of the loofah were evaluated using co-registered ultrasound, acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ARPAM), and optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ORPAM).</p> <p>Our ORPAM results confirmed the loofah’s ability to control chromophore distribution, leading to consistent and regulated photoacoustic signals. ARPAM results demonstrated that the loofah phantom effectively replicates vascular structures, exhibiting superior performance in mimicking microvascular networks compared to commonly used tissue-mimetic phantoms. The dominant diameter range of the phantom’s microvasculature was between 100–250 μm,</p> <p>aligning well with the targeted range and facilitating meaningful comparisons with human vascular structures. Furthermore, we experimented with mixed chromophores to extend the loofah phantom’s application for testing the extended functional capabilities of photoacoustic imaging.</p> <p>In conclusion, loofah material provides a low-cost and effective method for creating submil- limeter microvascular phantoms for photoacoustic imaging. Its exceptional morphology and customizability allow it to be shaped into various vascular network configurations, enhancing the fidelity of phantom imaging and assisting in system calibration and validation. Addi- tionally, data obtained from this realistic microvascular phantom offer greater opportunities for training machine learning models.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Xu, Jinhua"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biomedical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Quing Zhu","Song Hu; Chao Zhou"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:13:55Z","subjects":["Photoacoustic","Phantom","Loofah","Engineering"],"languages":["English (en)"],"rights":["I have not registered my thesis with the U.S. Copyright Office, and do not intend to."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/eng_etds/1109"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/eng_etds/1109","href":"https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/eng_etds/1109","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.7936/49tc-xa98","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Quing Zhu","Song Hu; Chao Zhou"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Xu, Jinhua"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-05-15T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biomedical Engineering","McKelvey School of Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Photoacoustic","Phantom","Loofah","Engineering"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English (en)"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["I have not registered my thesis with the U.S. Copyright Office, and do not intend to."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/49tc-xa98","https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/eng_etds/1109"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Existing photoacoustic phantoms are inadequate for mimicking the complex microvascular structures found in human tissue due to their inability to replicate varying sizes and distri- butions of vasculature. This limitation underscores the need for a new material capable of replicating intricate microvascular networks. In this thesis, we introduce loofah as a novel natural phantom material with complex fiber networks ranging from 50 to 400 μm, enabling the fabrication of phantoms with controlled optical properties comparable to those of human microvasculature.
By incorporating a controllable chromophore into the loofah material, we adjusted its ab- sorption properties to match desired specifications. The vasculature-mimetic capabilities and stability in photoacoustic signal generation of the loofah were evaluated using co-registered ultrasound, acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ARPAM), and optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ORPAM).
Our ORPAM results confirmed the loofah’s ability to control chromophore distribution, leading to consistent and regulated photoacoustic signals. ARPAM results demonstrated that the loofah phantom effectively replicates vascular structures, exhibiting superior performance in mimicking microvascular networks compared to commonly used tissue-mimetic phantoms. The dominant diameter range of the phantom’s microvasculature was between 100–250 μm,
aligning well with the targeted range and facilitating meaningful comparisons with human vascular structures. Furthermore, we experimented with mixed chromophores to extend the loofah phantom’s application for testing the extended functional capabilities of photoacoustic imaging.
In conclusion, loofah material provides a low-cost and effective method for creating submil- limeter microvascular phantoms for photoacoustic imaging. Its exceptional morphology and customizability allow it to be shaped into various vascular network configurations, enhancing the fidelity of phantom imaging and assisting in system calibration and validation. Addi- tionally, data obtained from this realistic microvascular phantom offer greater opportunities for training machine learning models.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Low-cost Microvascular Phantom for Photoacoustic Imaging Using Loofah"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Quing Zhu","Song Hu; Chao Zhou"],"dc:creator":["Xu, Jinhua"],"dc:date.available":["2025-05-15T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Existing photoacoustic phantoms are inadequate for mimicking the complex microvascular structures found in human tissue due to their inability to replicate varying sizes and distri- butions of vasculature. This limitation underscores the need for a new material capable of replicating intricate microvascular networks. In this thesis, we introduce loofah as a novel natural phantom material with complex fiber networks ranging from 50 to 400 μm, enabling the fabrication of phantoms with controlled optical properties comparable to those of human microvasculature.
By incorporating a controllable chromophore into the loofah material, we adjusted its ab- sorption properties to match desired specifications. The vasculature-mimetic capabilities and stability in photoacoustic signal generation of the loofah were evaluated using co-registered ultrasound, acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ARPAM), and optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ORPAM).
Our ORPAM results confirmed the loofah’s ability to control chromophore distribution, leading to consistent and regulated photoacoustic signals. ARPAM results demonstrated that the loofah phantom effectively replicates vascular structures, exhibiting superior performance in mimicking microvascular networks compared to commonly used tissue-mimetic phantoms. The dominant diameter range of the phantom’s microvasculature was between 100–250 μm,
aligning well with the targeted range and facilitating meaningful comparisons with human vascular structures. Furthermore, we experimented with mixed chromophores to extend the loofah phantom’s application for testing the extended functional capabilities of photoacoustic imaging.
In conclusion, loofah material provides a low-cost and effective method for creating submil- limeter microvascular phantoms for photoacoustic imaging. Its exceptional morphology and customizability allow it to be shaped into various vascular network configurations, enhancing the fidelity of phantom imaging and assisting in system calibration and validation. Addi- tionally, data obtained from this realistic microvascular phantom offer greater opportunities for training machine learning models.
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