Microscopy

Latest Innovations
Characterizing Molecular Diffusion Into Polymer Films Using SEIRA Dr. Braun from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a novel method for characterizing molecular diffusion in thin polymer films. Current methods of... Read More Dr. Braun from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a novel method for characterizing molecular diffusion in thin polymer films. Current methods of characterizing diffusion require films that are significantly thicker. This technique enhances sensitivity 18-fold and enables real-time monitoring of a compound of interest. This method has immediate use for product improvement in the food and beverage industries.
Unlimited Resolution Optical Microscopy The development of unlimited resolution imaging systems based on the fundamentally odd-symmetric polarization topology which breaks the 145-year-old law of Abbe’s... Read More The development of unlimited resolution imaging systems based on the fundamentally odd-symmetric polarization topology which breaks the 145-year-old law of Abbe’s resolution limit. With this technology, two objects separated by an arbitrarily small gap can be distinguished using a conventional far-field imaging system that has an arbitrarily low numerical aperture of the objective lens. The system allows imaging of nanoparticles and nanostructure which was previously not achievable by conventional optic microscopes.
Photonic Resonator Outcoupler Microscopy (PROM) A novel label-free microscopy modality that quantitatively measures the scatter-induced changes in reflected intensity from a photonic crystal biosensor surface to reveal... Read More A novel label-free microscopy modality that quantitatively measures the scatter-induced changes in reflected intensity from a photonic crystal biosensor surface to reveal the kinetic evolution and spatial features of focal adhesions (FA) that form at the cell-surface interface. Compared to a sensing approach in which image contrast is generated by the dielectric permittivity of attached cell components, PROM provides contrast in reflected resonant intensity that is induced by the refractive index contrast of localized protein clusters that occur at the cell-surface interface that comprise FA sites. PROM is expected to be a highly useful tool that can reveal the mechanisms of biological processes that occur near the cell membrane when it is attached to extracellular matrix materials during apoptosis, stem cell differentiation, migration, division, and metastasis.
Photonic Resonator Absorption Microscopy (PRAM) A novel label-free microscopy modality that quantitatively measures the scatter-induced changes in reflected intensity from a photonic crystal biosensor surface to reveal... Read More A novel label-free microscopy modality that quantitatively measures the scatter-induced changes in reflected intensity from a photonic crystal biosensor surface to reveal the kinetic evolution and spatial features of focal adhesions (FA) that form at the cell-surface interface. Compared to a sensing approach in which image contrast is generated by the dielectric permittivity of attached cell components, PROM provides contrast in reflected resonant intensity that is induced by the refractive index contrast of localized protein clusters that occur at the cell-surface interface that comprise FA sites. PROM is expected to be a highly useful tool that can reveal the mechanisms of biological processes that occur near the cell membrane when it is attached to extracellular matrix materials during apoptosis, stem cell differentiation, migration, division, and metastasis.
Multi-Color Discrete Infrared Spectroscopy Dr. Rohit Bhargava and graduate student Kevin Yeh have developed a new method and device for infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The invention overcomes current limitations in... Read More Dr. Rohit Bhargava and graduate student Kevin Yeh have developed a new method and device for infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The invention overcomes current limitations in fourier-transform based IR approaches which suffer from high signal-to-noise ratios and slow data acquisition speed. The invention uses an assembly of quantum cascade lasers, point-scanning, and scanning at discrete wavelengths to increase the speed of data acquisition and reduce scan time. The invention takes advantage of the ability to identify and classify a sample without the need to scan a continuous spectral range and perform Fourier Transformation post-acquisition. The technology could be applied to several industries including the pharmaceutical, environmental, and food industries.
Visualizable Detection of Nanoscale Perturbations This technology adapts conventional optical microscopes for visualizable detection and sensing in nanometric volumes. Conversion is fast and low cost, and the resulting... Read More This technology adapts conventional optical microscopes for visualizable detection and sensing in nanometric volumes. Conversion is fast and low cost, and the resulting device is easy to operate, label-free, and non-destructive. Applications Microscopy, semiconductor wafer inspection, characterizing physical, biological, chemical properties of materials, bio-sensing
Vibrational Circular Dichroism Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging Microscope Dr. Bhargava has developed a new method and device for imaging with a discrete frequency infrared spectroscopic microscope. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) is useful... Read More Dr. Bhargava has developed a new method and device for imaging with a discrete frequency infrared spectroscopic microscope. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) is useful for quantifying chirality, and this method allows for VCD imaging and chirality mapping of solid samples. VCD imaging measurements can examine small and localized changes in tissue and assist in quantization and separation of chirality.
Simultaneous 4-phase shifted full field optical coherence microscopy Professor Stephen Boppart and researchers from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology have developed a method and apparatus for capturing four... Read More Professor Stephen Boppart and researchers from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology have developed a method and apparatus for capturing four phase shifted interference patterns for instantaneous phase sensitive optical coherence tomography. This technique is a label free imaging technique with phase, polarization and spectroscopic sensitivity, while using incoherent illumination and capturing phase-shifted images in a single camera. It can be used as a commercial imaging system for imaging biomedical and biological samples, specifically for imaging cellular dynamics. In addition, the technique can also be used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool to assess and monitor diseases that alter optically accessible tissues (e.g. melanoma, skin diseases. This technique improves light-use efficiency, robustness and increases information content that can be extracted from images. Benefit Phase sensitive optical coherence tomographyis an imaging technique with phase, polarization and spectroscopic sensitivity, while using incoherent illumination and capturing phase-shifted images in single camera. Phase sensitive optical coherence tomography improves light-use efficiency, robustness and increases information content that can be extracted from images. Market Application This technique can be used as a commercial imaging system for imaging biomedical and biological samples, such as cells or tissues. Figure 1. Examples of imaging applications. Images a and c (insets zoomed in b and d) show an average amplitude, while b and c show: Dynamic OCM image calculated as variance of sequence of 50 phase images
Optical phantom for multimodal optical instruments using fluorescent nanodiamonds Dr. Boppart has created a new manner of calibrating multimodal optical instruments. Unlike prior solutions, such as fluorescent beads, this invention does not bleach and... Read More Dr. Boppart has created a new manner of calibrating multimodal optical instruments. Unlike prior solutions, such as fluorescent beads, this invention does not bleach and can be used calibrate instruments across multiple frames longitudinally. This solution can also be used to normalize imaging data and is able to calibrate instruments for 2D and 3D multimodal instruments so that standardized imaging under realistic, tissue-sample-like settings can be achieved.
Computational Single Photon Counting for Fast Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy Dr. Stephen Boppart and his research group have developed a novel way to time-tag and count photons for Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) in real-time at a... Read More Dr. Stephen Boppart and his research group have developed a novel way to time-tag and count photons for Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) in real-time at a rate of 160 Mega-counts-per-second, double what the best commercial system can do. The invention utilizes an accurate synchronization, fast detection with an analog PMT, high-bandwidth transimpedance amplifier, fast digitizer, and a GPU-accelerated photon-counting algorithm.