The rupture of diseased segments (atherosclerotic plaques) in arteries is a major cause of fatal and disabling cardiovascular events. Plaque rupture is a mechanical event where the collagenous plaque tissue loses its structural integrity due to blood pressure loading. The architecture of the fibrillar collagen network in a plaque is hypothesized to be the key determinant of the rupture risk of the plaque. Hence, quantitative measurements of the plaque tissue's collagen network may provide invaluable information not only to understand the fatal plaque rupture event but also to develop life-saving predictive models for plaque rupture risk.

Polarization-sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (ps-OCT) enables quantitative imaging of the microstructural organization of biological tissues in high spatial and temporal resolution. To be the front-runner in the field of mechano-structural characterization of atherosclerotic plaques, you will be focusing on customizing a bench-top ps-OCT system, coupling it to a mechanical tissue testing device and characterizing the optomechanical properties of the collagenous network in atherosclerotic plaques. The proposed research will be performed in close collaboration with the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (USA) and involve visit(s) to this center.