SBIR Phase I: Five-Dimensional Fluorescence Microscopy

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)Phase I project proposes to develop an innovative approach to fluorescence microscopy that will provide high spatial resolution and improved contrast. As demonstrated from previous work, the proposed fluorescence microscope is unique because it provides simultaneous measurement of lifetime decay profiles at multiple wavelengths. The addition of simultaneous spectral and temporal resolution to the fluorescence microscope will enhance their utility and allow the design of more sophisticated fluorescence experiments for structural and functional imaging of cellular and sub-cellular systems. The commercial application of the product to be developed in this project will be as an instrumentation useful to researchers across many areas of biological and medical sciences. Additional medical applications such as endoscopic probes for the identification of tissue types and abnormal tissue based on differences in fluorescence spectral and lifetime properties are also envisioned.