Meta-lens light-sheet fluorescence microscopy for in vivo imaging

Area of Science:

• Biophotonics
• Microscopy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Light-sheet fluorescent microscopy (LSFM) is crucial for in vivo research in disease, medicine, and cell biology.
• LSFM faces challenges in illumination design for high resolution and optical sectioning, and system complexity due to bulky components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address LSFM illumination and geometric constraints by integrating nanophotonic meta-lenses.
• To demonstrate a simplified LSFM system capable of high-resolution in vivo imaging.

Main Methods:

• Designed and fabricated an 800-nm-thick Gallium Nitride (GaN) nanostructure meta-lens.
• Integrated the meta-lens as the illumination component in a light-sheet fluorescent microscopy system.
• Utilized the system for multicolor fluorescent imaging of live Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).

Main Results:

• The meta-lens effectively generated a light-sheet suitable for biological specimens.
• The integrated system significantly reduced LSFM complexity.
• Achieved multicolor fluorescent imaging of live C. elegans with cellular resolution.

Conclusions:

• Nanophotonic meta-lenses offer a solution to LSFM illumination challenges and geometric constraints.
• The developed meta-lens enables simplified, high-resolution in vivo imaging systems.
• This approach paves the way for novel LSFM designs for biological specimen imaging.