IMAGE-PRESERVING TUNABLE FILTER FOR MICROSCOPY

A LIQUID CRYSTAL IMAGE-PRESERVING TUNABLE FILTER (IPTF) FOR CELL MICROSCOPY IS PLANNED. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN BIREFRINGENT LIQUID CRYSTAL TECHNOLOGY SHOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO CONSTRUCT AN INEXPENSIVE, LARGE-APERTURE TUNABLEFILTER THAT RANGES FROM 350 TO 3,000 NM IN A FEW MILLISECONDS WITH NO MOVING PARTS AND A BANDPASS OF 6 NM. THERE ARE A GREAT NUMBER OF MICROSCOPY OPTICAL PROBING TECHNIQUES USED TO STUDY THE DYNAMICS, THE CHEMICAL PROCESSES, AND THE MEMBRANE TRANSPORT MECHANISMS OF THE LIVING CELL. THE EFFICACY OF MANY OF THESE TECHNIQUES DEPENDS ON THE ABILITY TO DETECT SHIFTS IN THE EXCITATION, EMISSION, OR ABSORPTION SPECTRA BY MONITORING NARROW BANDWIDTHS OF LIGHT. AS PROBING TECHNIQUES BECOME MORE COMPLICATED, AUTOMATION, VERSATILITY, SPEED, AND CONVENIENCEWILL BE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT. AN IPTF WOULD HELP TO ADVANCE THE STATE OF THE ART. PHASE I RESEARCH WILL INCLUDE CONSTRUCTION OF A PROTOTYPE WITH EXISTING LIQUID CRYSTAL TECHNOLOGY AND A FEASIBILITY STUDY INVOLVING THE ACQUISITION OF IMAGES OF CALCIUM ION DISTRIBUTION OF A CELL INJECTED WITH INDO-1. IMAGE ANALYSISAND COMPARISON WITH IMAGES TAKEN WITH STANDARD INTERFERENCE FILTERS WILL INDICATE ASPECTS OF CURRENT LIQUID TECHNOLOGY THAT NEED TO BE DEVELOPED IN PHASE II. IT WILL ALSO INDICATE PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGN OF A VERSATILE,CONVENIENT MICROSCOPE ACCESSORY.