Deep ultraviolet high-resolution microscopic hyperspectral imager and its biological tissue detection

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Microscopy
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Ultraviolet (UV) hyperspectral imaging is established in atmospheric remote sensing.
• In-laboratory research has explored UV imaging for substance detection and identification.
• Biological tissues exhibit distinct UV absorption characteristics, particularly proteins and nucleic acids.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce UV hyperspectral imaging technology into microscopy for biological tissue analysis.
• To leverage the unique UV absorption properties of biomolecules like proteins and nucleic acids.
• To develop a high-performance UV microscopic hyperspectral imager.

Main Methods:

• Designed and developed a deep UV microscopic hyperspectral imager utilizing an Offner structure.
• Incorporated a microscope objective with a 0.68 numerical aperture.
• Achieved a spectral range of 200-430 nm, spectral resolution < 0.5 nm, and spatial resolution < 1.3 µm.

Main Results:

• Successfully distinguished K562 cells based on their nuclear transmission spectra.
• UV microscopic hyperspectral imaging of unstained mouse liver slices yielded results comparable to traditional hematoxylin and eosin staining.
• Demonstrated excellent spatial and spectral detection capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The developed deep UV microscopic hyperspectral imager shows significant potential for biomedical research and diagnosis.
• This technology can simplify pathological examination processes by enabling analysis of unstained samples.
• The instrument's performance highlights its utility for detailed biological sample analysis.