MRI: Development of a high-speed, hyperspectral imaging spinning disk confocal microscope

南阿拉巴马大学被授予开发一种新型高速光谱成像显微镜的奖项，称为5维快速高光谱成像平台（RHIP-5D）。RHIP-5D系统将为快速高光谱成像提供一种新的能力。RHIP-5D将在共聚焦显微镜上实现，并将允许对细胞器和亚细胞结构进行成像，具有高分子灵敏度，以及同时检测许多不同分子的能力。这种方法将推动新的分子成像研究，旨在测量细胞和组织中以前无法获得的关键功能信息。一旦完成，显微镜系统将能够在生物系统水平上对高速事件进行突破性的研究，包括控制细胞信号级联的过程、海草感染、微粒动力学和细胞生物力学。南阿拉巴马大学将为校外的科研人员举办使用这种新型显微镜系统的培训课程，进一步确立南阿拉巴马大学作为成像和生物技术发展中心的地位。此外，该系统将为阿拉巴马州和墨西哥湾沿岸地区提供独特的生物成像能力，并将作为阿拉巴马州和全国跨学科合作的催化剂。RHIP-5D系统是通过一种扫描荧光激发光谱的新型成像技术实现的。以前的高光谱成像方法通过获取图像中每个像素的光谱数据来提高灵敏度和特异性，但是在荧光显微镜系统上高速实现高光谱成像一直很困难。这是因为以前扫描荧光发射光谱的高光谱方法会导致显著（90%）的信号损失。相比之下，RHIP-5D系统采用的激发扫描方法将允许检测整个荧光发射信号，提供30-100倍的信号强度增加。这种新颖的方法有可能改变生物显微镜研究。

An award is made to the University of South Alabama to develop a novel high-speed spectral imaging microscope, called the 5-Dimensional Rapid Hyperspectral Imaging Platform (RHIP-5D). The RHIP-5D system will provide a novel capability for rapid hyperspectral imaging. The RHIP-5D will be implemented on a confocal microscope and will allow imaging of organelles and sub-cellular structures with high molecular sensitivity, as well as the ability to detect many different molecules simultaneously. This approach will advance new molecular imaging studies aimed at measuring crucial functional information in cells and tissues that was previously inaccessible. Once complete, the microscope system will enable breakthrough studies of high-speed events at the biosystems level, including processes controlling cell signaling cascades, seagrass infection, microparticle dynamics, and cellular biomechanics. The University of South Alabama will host training sessions for scientific researchers outside the University on the use of this novel microscope system, further establishing the University as a center for imaging and biotechnology development. In addition, this system will provide unique BioImaging capabilities to lower Alabama and the Gulf Coast region, and will serve as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaborations within the State of Alabama and the nation.The RHIP-5D system is made possible by a novel form of imaging that scans the fluorescence excitation spectrum. Previous hyperspectral imaging approaches have provided increased sensitivity and specificity by acquiring spectroscopic data for every pixel in the image, but it has been difficult to implement hyperspectral imaging on fluorescence microscope systems at high speeds. This is because previous hyperspectral approaches that scan the fluorescence emission spectrum can result in significant (90%) signal loss. By contrast, the excitation-scanning approach employed by the RHIP-5D system will allow the entire fluorescence emission signal to be detected, providing a 30-100X increase in signal strength. This novel approach has the potential to transform biological microscopy studies.