IDBR: TYPE A/Surface-sensitive coherent Raman microscopy (SCRM): label-free chemical imaging of dynamics at the cell surface

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An award is made to the University of California, Irvine (UCI), to develop a new type of microscope that can be used to study the properties of cell membranes. The SCRM instrument provides a unique solution for cell membrane studies where the use of fluorescent labels is questionable, thus enabling new discoveries in cell biology and membrane biophysics not previously possible with current technologies. The development and application of the SCRM technology forms a thorough training opportunity for two graduate students and one undergraduate student in the areas of engineering, optical physics and biology. An important component of this program is to bring the new SCRM technology into the classroom, which is achieved by using the prototype instrument in a graduate level course on Molecular Biophysics. The new microscope will also be actively used in the Laboratory Experiments & Activities in the Physical Sciences (LEAPS) program, which brings underrepresented students from the Santa Ana School District to the UCI campus. The special feature of this microscope is its capability to interrogate membranes of live cells with high contrast, but without the use of fluorescent labels. This new mode of inquisition, called surface-sensitive coherent Raman microscopy (SCRM), is achieved through merging the imaging properties of two existing techniques: coherent Raman scattering (CRS) microscopy and total internal reflection illumination. Compared to conventional CRS microscopy, SCRM offers a ten times higher axial resolution at imaging speeds of more than 10 frames per second.