Biomedical Imaging using Surface-Enhanced Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy based on Supercontinuum Laser

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Raman microscopy is an optical technique which has the potential to revolutionise biomedical imaging sciences by providing the rich chemical information of biological samples with high spatial resolution. It offers true multiplex imaging of protein distribution and allows access to tissue chemistry without the need of conventional staining. Unfortunately, this technique has long been plagued by the notoriously low intensity of the Raman signal and the inherent background noise found in biological samples. Recent advances in non-linear Raman techniques, such as coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering and stimulated Raman scattering have allowed these problems to be partially resolved by increasing the signal strength. These new techniques, however, suffer from the very high cost of conventional laser systems, making them inaccessible to a large number of research laboratories. The current research proposal puts forwards the development of a new type of stimulated Raman scattering microscope powered by three modern technologies: inexpensive supercontinuum laser source, surface-enhanced Raman substrates and automated analysis based on spectral clustering. This radical new approach will allow this technique to be available at a fraction of the current price, making it affordable to a wide range of biomedical imaging applications. Combined with surface-enhanced Raman substrates made from gold nanoparticles, we will demonstrate that background-free chemical maps can be obtained in a fraction of the time currently possible. We will test the potential use of this instrument for cell and tissue imaging with future applications in cancer diagnosis.