Deep Tissue Optical Microscopy for Multi-Photon Microscope

Background

Biological tissue is  rarely transparent, presenting major challenges for deep tissue optical microscopy. Due to its high-resolution and viewing of live organisms, optical microscopy has become an important tool for biological research and continues to open new avenues in its capabilities. In recent years, image resolution and speed has dramatically improved. However, the resolution and penetration depth is still in great need of improvement. The problem is caused by light being absorbed, refracted and scattered as it passes through biological tissue, limiting the resolution and depth of optical imaging. Overcoming these challenges will benefit a wide range of applications from basic biological research to clinical investigations.

Technology Description

University of California,_­­­ Santa Cruz researchers have demonstrated that imaging depth can be realized at depths beyond the reach of conventional geometric focusing and adaptive optics methods using interferometric focusing. Using this method over conventional geometric focusing of excitation light onto a guide-star embedded deeply in tissue, significantly increases its fluorescence intensity. The method can extend the depth of wavefront measurement and improve correction inside of tissues because of its ability to suppress both the scattering of diffused light and the aberration of ballistic light. Improvement more than doubles in sign-to-noise ratio of the  guide-star through scattering tissue and the increase in intensity of ballistic light in the excitation path after wavefront correction.

Applications

• Optical microscopy for both research and clinical applications, in fields such as neuroscience and developmental biology

Advantages

• Significantly stronger optical resolution

Intellectual Property Information

Related Materials

• Journal Publication: Live imaging using adaptive optics with fluorescent protein guide-stars - 06/28/2012