An award is made to Duke University to perform research to improve microscopy technology for imaging biological specimens over wide fields of view at high resolution. Many widely used applications of microscopy such as in cell biology and histology require frequent switching between a wide field-of-view (FOV) to identify tissue features and locations of interest, and narrow FOV to image at cellular and sub-cellular resolution. The need to manually zoom in and out is time consuming and incompatible with improvements in modern digital image capture and review methodology. This research addresses and provides a solution for this problem
The PI will develop a novel spatially structured illumination element to be placed in close proximity to the sample to multiplex high spatial frequency image content into the detection aperture of a wide field of view microscope objective. The project will advance the state of the art in coherent super-resolution imaging technology. The project will include extending modern super-resolution imaging techniques from their current focus on nanometer scale imaging to broader applications in biological research and clinical laboratory diagnostics. The project will also support the education and scientific training of engineering students from Duke and elsewhere at multiple levels. The project will comprise the Ph.D. dissertation research of a Duke biomedical engineering student, and Duke undergraduate engineering students will have opportunities to participate in the research through independent study. Additionally, three underrepresented engineering students recruited into Duke's Research Experience for Undergraduate program will each spend a summer assisting with this research as well as participating in related training and outreach activities.
