SBIR Phase I: Quantitative Phase Imaging for Life Sciences

这个小企业创新研究计划第一阶段项目提出了一种用于成像活细胞和组织的新仪器。该仪器解决了目前最先进技术的缺点：昂贵和侵入性的造影剂，偏见的结果和缩短实验的寿命，广泛的样品制备和高功率光源所需的良好的图像对比度。仪器背后的技术-定量相位成像（QPI）不需要样品制备，可提供活的、未染色的细胞和组织的长期（数天/数周）定量成像，成本仅为研究级显微镜的一小部分。客户发现结果将推动第一阶段的研究目标：1）开发满足生命科学用户最常见需求的最小可行产品（MVP），2）开发MVP的操作软件，3）第二阶段全自动定量相位成像系统的初步设计。第一阶段的研究工作将提供一个由两部分组成的原型：硬件模块，它可以连接到现有的现成光学显微镜上，软件模块，它可以提供数据采集，相位解码，显示和分析。该软件将包括可选的工具箱，将是具体的应用程序，该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，它将改善人类健康在几个不同的水平，并将有助于保持美国在高科技生物医学领域的优势。基于QPI的仪器的初始目标市场由生物技术和制药（Bio-Pharma）行业和学术界的科学家组成，他们可以使用研究级显微镜。科学仪器的主要原始设备制造商已经要求获得许可证，将各种范围的QPI技术集成到他们的系统中。该仪器通过准确、无标记地监测细胞对治疗的反应、活检和血液检测的自动癌症诊断，促进了对细胞功能（分化、增殖和死亡）的基本理解，从而实现了新型癌症药物的发现。由于其完全自动化，基于QPI的仪器可以在受培训人员有限的地区运行，并提供远程诊断所需的数字数据。获得的图像是定量的，这意味着在不同地点操作仪器时不需要校准。这些特征推荐QPI技术用于全球覆盖的应用，例如在美国和世界上服务不足的人群中筛查疟疾。

This Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I project proposes a new instrument for imaging live cells and tissues. The instrument addresses the current shortcomings of state-of-the art techniques: expensive and invasive contrast agents that bias the results and shorten the lifetime of the experiment, extensive sample preparation and high power light sources required for good image contrast. The technology behind the instrument - Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) requires no sample preparation and affords long term (days/weeks) quantitative imaging of live, unstained cells and tissues at a fraction of the cost of a research grade microscope. Customer discovery results will drive the research objectives for Phase I: 1) development of a minimum viable product (MVP) that will satisfy the most common requirements of life sciences users, 2) developing the operating software for the MVP and 3) preliminary design of the Phase II fully automated quantitative phase imaging system. Phase I research efforts will deliver a prototype with two components: the hardware module that snaps onto existing off-the-shelf optical microscopes, and the software module, which affords data acquisition, phase decoding, displaying, and analysis. The software will include optional toolboxes that will be application specific.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that it will improve human health at several different levels and will contribute toward maintaining the United States edge in the area of high-tech biomedicine. Initial target market for the QPI-based instrument consists of scientists with access to research grade microscopes in the biotech and pharmaceutical (Bio-Pharma) industry and academia. Major OEMs of scientific instruments have asked for licenses to integrate various ranges of the QPI technology into their systems. The instrument enables novel cancer drug discovery by accurate, label-free monitoring of cell response to treatment, automatic cancer diagnosis of biopsies and blood testing, enhances fundamental understanding of cell function (differentiation, proliferation, and death). Due to its full automation, the QPI-based instrument can operate in areas with limited access to trained personnel and provide the digital data necessary for remote diagnosis. The obtained images are quantitative, meaning that there is no calibration necessary when operating the instrument at different sites. These features recommend the QPI technology for applications of global coverage, such as screening for malaria in under-served populations of the United States and the World.