Liquid Lens Array Microscope

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议开发下一代，高度灵活的光学系统，用于整个切片扫描仪，以快速生成病理和细胞学的虚拟切片。该光学系统的主要用途是为临床和研究目的实现组织、冷冻组织、组织微阵列（TMA）和细胞学玻片的超快速和准确成像。该光学系统允许以最小数值孔径NA = 0.65的单次扫描显微镜载玻片，以0.23-¿m采样覆盖整个玻璃载玻片的宽度和长度。光学系统是以一组微型显微镜为基础的。阵列中的每个显微镜都包括一个可变光功率的液体透镜元件。液体透镜元件是电控制的，允许每个微型显微镜在扫描组织和细胞标本时单独聚焦。因此，阵列显微镜可以在成像过程中快速和持续地重新配置自身，以产生最准确，高质量的组织学和细胞学标本图像。长期目标是在0.23-¿m采样（即相当于40倍放大倍率）下，在不到60秒的时间内对载玻片标本进行成像。所提出的液体透镜设计用于快速调整焦点或实现与细胞学载玻片相关的扩展景深成像。第一阶段的项目重点是新型液体透镜元件的开发和液体透镜阵列显微镜原型的组装。原型的评估强调图像质量是液体透镜在多个深度下实现的焦点的函数。图像质量将根据分辨率和失真来衡量。在第二阶段，我们计划完成一个模块化的“工业”版本的液体透镜阵列显微镜仪器的开发，包括120个微型显微镜。液体透镜技术与DMetrix的超快速、自动化阵列显微镜技术相结合，代表了推进基于组织的诊断和预后数字病理分析的关键发展。这种组合的结果将是一个更便宜，快速和高度精确的显微成像设备。该设备将生成高分辨率数字图像，用于远程医疗、缩短周转时间的医疗保健、药物开发和计算机辅助诊断。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop a next-generation, highly flexible optical system for use in a whole- slide scanner to rapidly generate virtual slides in pathology and cytology. The primary use of this optical system is to enable ultra-rapid and accurate imaging of tissue, frozen-tissue, tissue-microarray (TMA), and cytology glass slides for clinical and research purposes. This optical system will allow scanning a microscope slide in a single sweep at a minimum numerical aperture of NA = 0.65, covering the entire width and length of a glass slide with 0.23-¿m sampling. The optical system is based on an array of miniature microscopes. Each microscope in the array includes a variable-optical-power, liquid-lens element. The liquid-lens elements are controlled electrically and permit the individual focusing of each miniature microscope during scanning of tissue and cell specimens. As a result, the array microscope can rapidly and continually reconfigure itself during imaging to produce the most accurate, high-quality images of histology and cytology specimens. The long-term goal is to image slide-borne specimens in less than 60 seconds at 0.23-¿m sampling (i.e., equivalent to a 40X magnification). The proposed liquid lenses are designed to rapidly adjust focus or to enable extended-depth-of-field imaging relevant for cytology slides. The Phase I project emphasizes development of a novel liquid-lens element and assembly of a liquid-lens array microscope prototype. The evaluation of the prototype emphasizes image quality as a function of focus at multiple depths achieved with the liquid lens. Image quality will be measured in terms of resolution and distortion. In Phase II, we plan to complete development of a modular, "industrial" version of the liquid lens array-microscope instrument including 120 miniature microscopes. Liquid-lens technology, combined with DMetrix's ultra-rapid, automated array-microscope technology, represents a key development in advancing diagnostic and prognostic tissue-based digital-pathology analysis. The result of this combination will be a less costly, fast and highly accurate microscopic imaging device. This device will generate high-resolution digital images for use in telemedicine, reduced turnaround-time healthcare, drug development, and computer-aided diagnosis.