STTR Phase I: A New Hyperspectral Imaging Spectrometer

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project will develop a hyperspectral imaging spectrometer for high-throughput, low-light biomedical imaging. This instrument will collect optical spectra for hundreds of picture elements (pixels) simultaneously from a small working distance, enable multiplexing with fluorescent dyes that have overlapping spectra, avoid light losses from bandpass filters, and allow accurate removal of fluorescent background. Although spectral imaging instruments are available for microscopic applications and for remote sensing from the air, instruments with sufficient spatial and spectral resolution for fluorescent gel scanning or multi-well plate reading of signals from cells is very limited. The proposed instrument will fill this gap with an innovative optical design that utilizes the asymmetry of "push broom" imaging spectrometers to efficiently gather light and greatly reduce optical aberrations. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of biomedical imaging. The proposed instrument will be valuable in biomedical research, disease diagnosis, and drug development.