On-the-fly adaptive SNR protocol to accelerate Brillouin microscopy

Area of Science:

• Biophotonics
• Microscopy
• Cellular Imaging

Background:

• Brillouin microscopy offers label-free imaging of cellular and tissue properties.
• Conventional imaging techniques suffer from long acquisition times, limiting their practical application.
• Existing acceleration methods have limitations in stability and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate an innovative, accelerated Brillouin microscopy imaging method.
• To demonstrate significant reductions in acquisition time while maintaining image quality.
• To enhance the stability and efficiency of Brillouin imaging.

Main Methods:

• Development of the 'One-pass' technique for dynamic signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) adjustment.
• Real-time identification of essential spectral information during data acquisition.
• Adaptive control of laser exposure time based on spectral data.
• Validation using simulations and imaging of biological samples (HeLa and SK-N-SH cells).

Main Results:

• The One-pass method achieved acquisition time reductions of approximately 2.2x and 3.5x.
• Image quality was maintained at acceptable levels across simulations and biological samples.
• Demonstrated improved stability and efficiency compared to traditional raster scan and two-pass methods.

Conclusions:

• The One-pass technique represents a significant advancement in accelerating Brillouin microscopy.
• This method offers a more stable and efficient approach for label-free cellular imaging.
• The technique has broad potential for applications in biological research and diagnostics.