Miniaturised 3D biomedical imaging: super-resolution microscopy development using 3D-printing and structured illumination

博士项目的目标是利用3D打印、MEMS(微型机电系统)技术和有源微光学技术开发具有超分辨率能力的新型成本效益、小型化生物医学成像系统。近年来，新兴的成像技术对了解生物医学的发展过程和相互作用做出了巨大贡献，仅在过去10年中就获得了两项与生物医学成像技术有关的诺贝尔奖。然而，这些新技术仍然昂贵，限制了资金较少的实验室和发展中国家的分布和可获得性。该项目将开发新技术，使基于光学微电子机械系统(MEMS)技术、微型光学和光学3D打印的超分辨率成像方法小型化，以实现真正具有成本效益的小规模系统。此外，还将研究实现超分辨率方法的新图像处理技术，学生将通过主管和我们团队中从事生物医学成像系统和图像处理的其他成员获得支持，并获得这方面的所有技术部分的经验。博士学位将受益于更广泛的微型生物医学成像系统研究计划，该计划由EPSRC新研究员奖和RAEng工程促进发展研究奖学金赞助，这两个项目在发展中国家拥有积极的合作伙伴，特别是印度(印度理工学院甘地纳加)，以及美国(斯坦福大学)和日本(东京大学)。学生将被期望融入并为这些合作参与做出贡献，包括如果可能的话，目标是花时间在合作者的实验室里。

The aim of the PhD project is the development of novel cost-effective, miniaturised biomedical imaging systems which have super-resolution capability using 3D-printing, MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) technology and active micro-optics. Emerging imaging technologies have contributed immensely to the understanding of biomedical development processes and interactions in recent times, with two Nobel Prices related to biomedical imaging techniques awarded in the last 10 years alone. These novel techniques are however still costly, limiting distribution and accessibility in less funded labs and developing countries.The project will develop new techniques to miniaturise super-resolution imaging approaches based on optical Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, micro-optics and optical 3D-printing, to achieve a truly cost-efficient small-scale system. Additionally, new image processing techniques for achieving the super-resolution approach will be investigated, with the student receiving support and gaining experience on all technological parts of this through the supervisors and further members of our group working on biomedical imaging systems and image processing.The PhD will benefit and contribute to a wider program of research on miniaturised biomedical imaging systems, sponsored by a EPSRC New Investigator Award and a RAEng Engineering for Development Research Fellowship, which have active collaborative partners in developing countries, specifically India (Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar), as well as the United States (Stanford University) and Japan (University of Tokyo). The student will be expected to be integrated and contribute to these collaborative involvements, including the aim to spend time at the laboratories of collaborators if possible.