Quantifying Uterine Cervix Remodeling Using Polarization-Resolved Second Harmonic Generation

In this webinar hosted by the Polarization Management and Propagation Technical Group, Jessica Ramella-Roman, will present a study that employs polarization-resolved Second Harmonic Generation imaging to examine structural changes in the cervical extracellular matrix, focusing on collagen throughout pregnancy.

This technique captures high-resolution (0.4 µm) images of collagen fiber orientation across the full murine cervix. Findings reveal that collagen fibers are highly organized around the cervical os in early pregnancy but progressively become disorganized as pregnancy advances. Statistical analysis confirms a decline in collagen organization, correlating with the reduction in mechanical strength required for childbirth. These insights deepen our understanding of cervical remodeling and may guide future research on pathological or premature labor.

Subject Matter Level: Intermediate - Assumes basic knowledge of the topic

What You Will Learn:
• Polarization Sensitive Imaging
• Clinical Diagnosis
• Tissue Imaging

Who Should Attend:
• PhD Student
• Faculty
• Industry with relevant background

About the Presenter: Jessica Ramella-Roman from Florida International University

Dr. Jessica C. Ramella-Roman received an electrical engineering degree from the University of Pavia in 1993. She earned both M.S. and PH.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Oregon Health Science University in Portland, Oregon in 2004. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University from 2004 to 2005. She then became an assistant professor at The Catholic University of America in 2005 and associate professor in 2010. Since 2013, she has served at Florida International University as an associate professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department. Her research is focused on bio-photonics, she is developing imaging and point-of-care devices based on spectroscopy and polarization, as well as multimodal nonlinear microscopes. She has published 84 peer-reviewed articles, her H index is 36, and her i10 index is 76 (Google Scholar).She has recently edited a book on “Polarized Light in Biomedical Imaging and Sensing” published by Springer.