Implementation of a portable diffraction phase microscope for digital histopathology

Area of Science:

• Biomedical optics
• Digital pathology
• Quantitative phase imaging

Background:

• Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) offers label-free visualization of biological tissues, crucial for histopathology.
• Developing compact and portable QPI systems enhances accessibility for diverse research applications.
• Diffraction phase microscopy (DPM) is a QPI technique that captures phase shifts to visualize unstained biological structures.

Discussion:

• The developed portable DPM system successfully acquired phase map images from various mouse organs using a low-NA objective lens.
• Image analysis revealed that structures in portable DPM are comparable to conventional stained histology.
• The system's performance was validated against a conventional benchtop DPM system, demonstrating comparable results.

Key Insights:

• A portable DPM system provides high-quality, label-free imaging for histopathology.
• The portable DPM system achieves performance comparable to established benchtop systems.
• Deep learning can be applied to DPM images for virtual staining, enhancing digital pathology workflows.

Outlook:

• Further development of portable DPM systems can increase accessibility in biological research and clinical diagnostics.
• Integration of AI-powered virtual staining holds potential for streamlined histopathological analysis.
• This technology could reduce the reliance on traditional staining methods, saving time and resources.