IDBR: TYPE A/Surface-sensitive coherent Raman microscopy (SCRM): label-free chemical imaging of dynamics at the cell surface

加州大学欧文分校(UCI)被授予一项奖项，以开发一种可用于研究细胞膜特性的新型显微镜。SCRM仪器为使用荧光标记有问题的细胞膜研究提供了独特的解决方案，从而使细胞生物学和膜生物物理学方面的新发现成为可能，这是当前技术以前无法实现的。SCRM技术的开发和应用为工程、光学物理和生物领域的两名研究生和一名本科生提供了一个全面的培训机会。该计划的一个重要组成部分是将新的SCRM技术引入课堂，这是通过在研究生水平的分子生物物理学课程中使用原型仪器来实现的。新的显微镜还将被积极用于物理科学(LEAPS)项目的实验室实验和实验活动，该项目将圣安娜学区的代表人数不足的学生带到UCI校园。这种显微镜的特殊之处在于，它能够以高对比度询问活细胞的膜，但不使用荧光标记。这种新的研究模式被称为表面敏感相干拉曼显微镜(SCRM)，它是通过融合两种现有技术的成像特性而实现的：相干拉曼散射(CRS)显微镜和全内反射照明。与传统的CRS显微镜相比，SCRM在每秒10帧以上的成像速度下提供了十倍高的轴向分辨率。

An award is made to the University of California, Irvine (UCI), to develop a new type of microscope that can be used to study the properties of cell membranes. The SCRM instrument provides a unique solution for cell membrane studies where the use of fluorescent labels is questionable, thus enabling new discoveries in cell biology and membrane biophysics not previously possible with current technologies. The development and application of the SCRM technology forms a thorough training opportunity for two graduate students and one undergraduate student in the areas of engineering, optical physics and biology. An important component of this program is to bring the new SCRM technology into the classroom, which is achieved by using the prototype instrument in a graduate level course on Molecular Biophysics. The new microscope will also be actively used in the Laboratory Experiments & Activities in the Physical Sciences (LEAPS) program, which brings underrepresented students from the Santa Ana School District to the UCI campus. The special feature of this microscope is its capability to interrogate membranes of live cells with high contrast, but without the use of fluorescent labels. This new mode of inquisition, called surface-sensitive coherent Raman microscopy (SCRM), is achieved through merging the imaging properties of two existing techniques: coherent Raman scattering (CRS) microscopy and total internal reflection illumination. Compared to conventional CRS microscopy, SCRM offers a ten times higher axial resolution at imaging speeds of more than 10 frames per second.