Label-Free, Real-Time, In Vivo Optical Biopsy with a Handheld Quantitative Phase Microscope

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Microscopy
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• In vivo optical imaging of bulk tissues faces challenges for clinical use.
• Label-free imaging is desirable to avoid sample alteration.
• Real-time, high-resolution imaging is crucial for clinical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a compact, handheld quantitative phase imaging microscope.
• To enable label-free, in vivo optical imaging of bulk tissues with high resolution.
• To overcome limitations of current optical imaging for clinical applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized quantitative oblique back illumination microscopy (qOBM) for epi-illumination.
• Developed a compact, handheld probe with no moving parts.
• Achieved 0.8 µm lateral resolution, 5 µm axial resolution, and 25Hz frame rate.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated real-time, wide-field imaging with clear cellular and subcellular detail.
• Successfully imaged human skin in vivo.
• Visualized brain tumor and healthy brain tissue in ex vivo and in vivo models.

Conclusions:

• The handheld quantitative phase imaging microscope provides an "optical biopsy" for real-time tissue analysis.
• The device's ease-of-use, low cost, and robustness have significant clinical implications.
• Potential applications span various fields requiring in vivo tissue assessment.