NEW GENERATION PATHOLOGISTS' MICROSCOPE

THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES MICROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTATION TECHNIQUES RELATED TO THE ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES UNDER THE BIOPHYSICS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES PROGRAM. THE SUBMITTING ORGANIZATION IS KENSAL CONSULTING, A SMALL ELECTROOPTICAL BUSINESS IN TUCSON, ARIZONA, THAT HAS INVENTED AND PATENTED WHAT IS FELT TO BE THE NEXT GENERATION PATHOLOGISTS' MICROSCOPE. THIS NEW MICROSCOPE WILL BRING FULL-COLOR DIGITAL VISUALIZATION OF TISSUE SECTIONS TO THE DESKTOP AND PROVIDE THE PATHOLOGIST WITH A "PC-MICROSCOPE" THAT IS LIKELY TO SUPPLANT TRADITIONAL MICROSCOPY. THE TRADITIONAL MICROSCOPE DOES NOT FURNISH FULL-COVERSLIP IMAGING; NOR DOES IT PROVIDE ORIENTATION INFORMATION; NOR CAN IT BE USED TO CONTINUOUSLY ZOOM. KENSAL'S PC-MICROSCOPE, USING A NOVEL LINEAR-DIODE-ARRAY SLIDE SCANNER, WILL BRING A FULL-COLOR, FULL-COVERSLIP IMAGE TO THE COMPUTER SCREEN 1 OR 2 SECONDS AFTER INSERTION OF THE MICROSCOPE SLIDE IN THE INSTRUMENT. THEREAFTER THE USER WILL SELECT REGIONS OF INTEREST FROM THE SCREEN BY POINTING AT THE COVERSLIP IMAGE WITH A CURSOR. THESE REGIONS WILL APPEAR AT HIGH MAGNIFICATION AND CAN BE PANNED, FOCUSED, AND ZOOMED CONTINUOUSLY USING A NOVEL CFM (CONTINUOUSLY FOCUSING MICROSCOPE) RECENTLY PATENTED BY INFINITY PHOTO-OPTICAL COMPANY. NO OCULARS WILL BE NECESSARY, NO MANUAL HANDLING OF THE SLIDE AND STAGE; NO MANUAL SWITCHING OF FIXED-POWER OBJECTIVES AS IN TRADITIONAL MICROSCOPY. THE PURPOSE IS TO REQUEST SBIR FUNDING TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF FAST FULL-COVERSLIP IMAGING AND TO STUDY THE COMBINATION OF THIS IMAGING MODALITY WITH A COMPLETE, DIGITALLY-CONTROLLED, ELECTROOPTICAL MECHANISM THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AS A PC-MICROSCOPE PROTOTYPE IN PHASE II AND COMMERCIALIZED DURING PHASE III.