IDBR TYPE B: Development of a $100 high-throughput whole slide imaging kit

康涅狄格大学被授予开发一种成本效益高的全幻灯片成像(WSI)附加套件。高通量全玻片成像(WSI)系统是各种生物研究应用的重要工具。通过使用WSI系统，大规模生物样本可以在几秒钟或几分钟内以高分辨率数字化，显著提高实验室效率，推动科学进步。该项目旨在开发一种100美元的WSI附加套件，用于高通量多模式显微镜成像。通过将此附加套件改装到现有的常规显微镜平台，可以将其转换为高通量、多模式的WSI平台。WSI Add-on Kit的结果是整个样品的全面数字再现，大小约为厘米，在衍射限制的分辨率下可见，在二维或三维，并具有多种成像方式。通常在单细胞水平上手动进行的实验，一次处理有限的视野，现在可以以自动化和智能的方式对整个样品进行。由于生物和生物医学研究的许多领域都需要高含量的图像，WSI附加试剂盒的传播预算约为100美元，可能会导致小型研究实验室的新型实验设计，并使各种与健康相关的应用受益。该项目旨在通过集成三个不同的模块来开发WSI附加组件：1)自动对焦模块，可立即识别样品的最佳焦距位置；2)扫描模块，可高速驱动常规显微镜的工作台；以及3)照明模块，可将多种成像模式集成到平台中。对于自动对焦模块，两个针孔调制摄像头将连接到目镜端口，用于即时焦平面检测。通过分析从这两个目镜端口捕获的图像，可以推断出2D薄片的最佳焦点位置和3D样品的层析结构，而无需z扫描。然后可以使用不同的z采样策略来更好地获取图像。对于扫描模块，将使用步进电机和相关齿轮来控制显微镜工作台的运动。将测试不同的机械耦合方案，并根据扫描速度和位置重复性选择最佳方案。对于照明模块，将在聚光镜的背焦平面插入液晶显示器。通过在显示器上设置不同的二进制模式，该照明模块能够将多种成像模式集成到平台中，包括明场、暗场、相位对比度、定量相位、偏振、3D层析和超分辨率傅里叶层析成像。该项目的教育/推广计划将包括为康涅狄格州大学的研究生和本科生开发课程，为高中生和高中/中学教师提供暑期实习。通过该项目产生的知识将通过会议介绍和讲习班、科学期刊上的出版物以及提高公众科学素养的新闻编辑室文章来传播。构建WSI工具包的协议将发布在一个专门的网站上。将确定工业合作伙伴，以促进WSI附加套件的商业化。

An award is made to University of Connecticut to develop a cost-effective whole slide imaging (WSI) add-on kit. High-throughput whole slide imaging (WSI) system is an important tool for various biological research applications. By using WSI systems, large-scale biological samples can be digitalized with high resolution in seconds or minutes, significantly increasing laboratory efficiency and promoting the progress of science. This project aims to develop a $100 WSI add-on kit for high-throughput multimodal microscopy imaging. By adapting this add-on kit to an existing regular microscope platform, one can convert it into a high-throughput, multimodal WSI platform. The result from the WSI add-on kit is a comprehensive digital rending of the entire sample, on the order of centimeter in size, visible at diffraction-limited resolution, in two or three dimensions, and with multiple imaging modalities. Experiments that were typically carried out manually in single cell level and addressed a limited field of view at a time can now be done for the entire sample in an automated and intelligent manner. As high-content images are desired in many fields of biological and biomedical research, the dissemination of the WSI add-on kit in ~$100 budget could lead to new types of experimental designs in small research labs and benefit various health-related applications. This project aims to develop the WSI add-on kit by integrating three different modules: 1) an autofocusing module that instantly identifies the optimal focal position of the sample, 2) a scanning module that drives the stages of a regular microscope in high speed, and 3) an illumination module that integrates multiple imaging modalities into the platform. For the autofocusing module, two pinhole-modulated cameras will be attached to the eyepiece ports for instant focal plane detection. By analyzing the captured images from these two eyepiece ports, one can infer the optimal focal position for a 2D thin section and the tomography structure of a 3D sample without a z-scan. Different z-sampling strategies can then be used for better image acquisition. For the scanning module, stepper motors and the associated gears will be used to control the motion of the microscope stages. Different mechanical coupling schemes will be tested and the best scheme will be chosen in terms of the scanning speed and positional repeatability. For the illumination module, a liquid crystal display will be inserted at the back-focal plane of the condenser lens. By setting different binary patterns on the display, this illumination module is able to integrate multiple imaging modalities into the platform, including brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, quantitative phase, polarization, 3D tomography, and super-resolution Fourier ptychographic imaging. The education/outreach program of this project will include course development for graduate and undergraduate students at UConn, summer internships to high-school students and high-school/middle-school teachers. The knowledge generated through this project will be disseminated through conference presentations and workshops, publications in scientific journals, and news-room articles that raise the scientific literacy of the public. The protocol of building the WSI kit will be posted on a dedicated website. Industrial partners will be identified to promote the commercialization of the WSI add-on kit.