Dual-View Microscope

A new type of microscope objective that integrates simultaneous co-axis low-resolution wide field of view (FOV) imaging with high-resolution small field of view imaging. A waveguide is used to relay the pupil of the wide field of view imaging system to the axis of the objective. The system addresses limitations of state-of-the-art microscope objectives and is particularly useful for biomedical and cancer imaging. 

Background:
Optical microscopy is a key tool in biomedical and cancer imaging because it offers several ideal features for imaging cells and tissue structure. For example, (1) the resolution is well-matched to the sizes of subcellular structures, (2) a diverse range of available fluorescent probes makes it possible to mark proteins, organelles, and other structures for imaging, (3) the relatively nonperturbing nature of light means that living cells can be imaged for long periods of time to follow their dynamics, (4) it offers a wide spectral range that enables various imaging modalities to investigate cellular processes and/or structural, molecular, and chemical characteristics, (5) and it is an essential tool in clinical cancer imaging. 

For clinical and research microscopy, the objective is the most important component since it determines the resolution and throughput. While there are significant efforts in developing new objectives for various applications, the state-of-the-art microscope objectives still have some major limitations. One limitation of the current state-of-the-art microscope objectives is that they are designed without consideration of integrating low-resolution, wide-FOV imaging capability. Since the FOV is small, it is difficult to locate regions of interest (ROI) for imaging. There are some efforts in solving this and other limitations by developing special objective with dual-FOV or adding a compact wide-FOV imaging modality to the central region of the objective. To address these limitations of current objectives, the innovation introduces integrated wide-FOV imaging. 

Applications:

• Microscopy objectives
• Cancer/cell/tissue imaging
• Integrated co-axis wide-FOV microscopy

Advantages:

• Addresses limitations of state-of-the-art microscope objectives
• Simultaneous co-axis low-resolution wide field of view imaging with high-resolution small field of view imaging