Understanding three-dimensional structural relationships in cells and tissues is important in both basic medical science and clinical pathology diagnosis. To help address this need, Hampshire Instruments is developing a high resolution three-dimensional optical microscopy workstation with significant computational and interactive graphics capability. This instrument will incorporate three-dimensional deblurring algorithms used to sharpen images from optically sectioned thick specimens, in both absorption and fluorescence microscopy. During Phase I, 1. A microcomputer-based high resolution optical microscopy development system will be constructed; 2. Three-dimensional deblurring algorithms for fluorescence and absorption microscopy will be implemented; 3. The effect of unavoidable partial coherence of illumination in high resolution microscopy on the validity of three-dimensional deblurring algorithms will be determined; 4. Human cancer nuclei cells will be examined to assess the usefulness of three-dimensional deblurring procedures on nuclear features that have been shown to be of prognostic or diagnostic value; and 5. Hardware and software specifications for Phase II construction of the commercial prototype high resolution three-dimensional optical microscopy workstation will be developed.
