Spatial light interference microscopy: principle and applications to biomedicine.

Area of Science:

• Optical microscopy
• Quantitative phase imaging
• Biomedical optics

Background:

• Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) is crucial for label-free cell analysis.
• Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM) is a highly sensitive QPI technique.
• SLIM builds upon phase-contrast microscopy with white-light illumination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM).
• To detail SLIM's theory, instrumentation, and applications in science and medicine.
• To highlight advancements and future directions in SLIM technology.

Main Methods:

• Review of image formation in QPI, scattering, and full-field methods.
• Detailed explanation of SLIM imaging, including theory, instrumentation, and diffraction tomography.
• Discussion of Zernike phase-contrast microscopy, phase retrieval, halo removal, and inverse problem solutions (white-light and Wolf phase tomography).

Main Results:

• SLIM enables speckle-free phase reconstruction with sub-nanometer path-length stability.
• In-house software facilitates high-throughput acquisition, whole slide scanning, and mosaic tile registration.
• SLIM demonstrates broad applicability in studying cell dynamics, growth, migration, and mass transport.

Conclusions:

• SLIM is a powerful tool for quantitative phase imaging with diverse applications in basic science and clinical studies.
• SLIM aids in cancer research, reproductive technology, and blood testing.
• The integration of SLIM with artificial intelligence presents new avenues for cell biology and pathology research.