26 May 2014

Daylight delivers first laser-based infrared microscopy platform

Daylight Solutions Inc of San Diego, CA, USA, which makes molecular detection and imaging systems based on mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) for scientific research, life science, industrial process control and defense applications, has delivered what it claims is the first commercially available laser-based infrared microscopy platform.

The microscope was delivered to Dr Rebekah Drezek’s Optical Molecular Imaging and Nanobiotechnology Laboratory at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The system will initially be used to conduct -*research into laser-based infrared microscopy for the optical diagnosis of breast cancer. “The combination of spectral tunability and rapid imaging in these wavelength ranges is unprecedented,” comments Drezek.

Marketed under the brand name Spero, the microscope opens up research possibilities with chemical imaging and analysis on a real-time basis, says the firm. Powered by Daylight’s broadly tunable QCL technology, Spero offers what is claimed to be a unique combination of visibility, instantaneous results in ‘live mode’, and a small resource footprint to easily fit into any lab or clinical setting.

The system’s capabilities are further augmented by automated computational algorithms that enable identification and segmentation of complex chemical signatures. Applications range from label-free tissue and cell diagnostics in life sciences to materials analysis in industrial markets.

Drezek’s initial phase of research, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Engineering Research Center Collaborative Opportunity (SECO) program, will seek to demonstrate the unique advantages of a tunable, mid-infrared laser-based system over that of a conventional Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscope. The program will also include an evaluation of the Spero’s full and sparse data collection modes. In full data collection mode, a complete spectral scan can be collected in five minutes. This will be compared to the sparse data collection mode, in which only a small subset of key wavelengths are rapidly collected in seconds.

During the second phase of the research, the MCF10A and SKBR3 breast cell lines will be analyzed with the system to assess the predictive value of the infrared spectral data for normal, cancer, and cancer sub-types.

“We have always appreciated our close collaboration with Dr Drezek and Rice University,” says president Paul Larson. “Her talented team will leverage the advanced capabilities of the instrument to make a very significant impact on the continuing fight against breast cancer.”

See related items:

Daylight launches first laser-based IR microscopy platform for rapid, high-res spectral imaging

Tags: Daylight Solutions

Visit: www.daylightsolutions.com/spero