Ultrathin fluorescence microscope in a needle

光学活检技术允许在真实的时间内获得人体组织的高分辨率图像，而不需要侵入性活检和组织学。光学活检的一种常见方法是荧光显微内镜，其中包含纤维成像束的柔性探针从荧光标记的组织获得视频速率图像。然而，这些探头仅允许对最表面的组织层进行成像。最近，人们对将荧光显微镜探针结合到针中感兴趣，该针可以穿透器官表面以下，从而允许深层组织成像。然而，目前有一个严重的权衡之间的图像质量（在图像的大小和分辨率方面）和针探头的直径。在这个项目中，将开发一种新的方法，将显微镜到针。像传统的内窥镜一样，针将使用纤维成像束来传输图像。然而，为了获得更高质量的图像，这些束的分辨率限制将被克服。通常，光纤束中的每根光纤仅传输一个“像素”的信息。新的成像系统将利用这样一个事实，即额外的信息可以在每个光纤芯支持的多种光传播模式中编码。不像大多数以前的方法，试图利用光纤模式作为信息通道，没有复杂的全息重建或波整形使用空间光调制器将是必需的。相反，类似于单像素成像的方法将允许在简单的校准程序之后高速重建宽视场或光学切片的荧光图像。

Optical biopsy techniques allow high-resolution images of human tissue to be obtained in real time, without the need for invasive biopsy and histology. A common approach to optical biopsy is fluorescence endomicroscopy, whereby a flexible probe containing a fibre imaging bundle obtains video-rate images from fluorescently-labelled tissue. However, these probes only allow the most superficial tissue layers to be imaged. More recently, there has been interest in incorporating fluorescence microscopy probes into needles which could penetrate below the surface of organs, thus allowing deep-tissue imaging. However, there is currently a severe trade-off between the quality of the images (in terms of image size and resolution) and the diameter of the needle probe.In this project, a new approach for incorporating a microscope into a needle will be developed. Like conventional endomicroscopes, the needle will use a fibre imaging bundle to transmit images. However, in order to obtain higher quality images, the resolution limits of these bundles will be overcome. Conventionally, each fibre in a fibre bundle transmits only one 'pixel' of information. The new imaging system will exploit the fact that additional information can be encoded within the multiple modes of light propagation which each fibre core supports. Unlike most previous approaches which have sought to exploit fibre modes as information channels, no complex holographic reconstructions or wave-shaping using spatial light modulators will be required. Instead, an approach similar to single-pixel imaging will allow high-speed reconstruction of wide-field or optically-sectioned fluorescence images following a simple calibration procedure.