Applied Physics Program, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
Nat Biomed Eng. 2022 May;6(5):617-628. doi: 10.1038/s41551-022-00851-z. Epub 2022 Mar 7.
The simple and compact optics of lensless microscopes and the associated computational algorithms allow for large fields of view and the refocusing of the captured images. However, existing lensless techniques cannot accurately reconstruct the typical low-contrast images of optically dense biological tissue. Here we show that lensless imaging of tissue in vivo can be achieved via an optical phase mask designed to create a point spread function consisting of high-contrast contours with a broad spectrum of spatial frequencies. We built a prototype lensless microscope incorporating the 'contour' phase mask and used it to image calcium dynamics in the cortex of live mice (over a field of view of about 16 mm) and in freely moving Hydra vulgaris, as well as microvasculature in the oral mucosa of volunteers. The low cost, small form factor and computational refocusing capability of in vivo lensless microscopy may open it up to clinical uses, especially for imaging difficult-to-reach areas of the body.
无透镜显微镜的简单紧凑的光学元件和相关的计算算法允许大视场和捕获图像的重新聚焦。然而，现有的无透镜技术不能准确地重建光学密集生物组织的典型低对比度图像。在这里，我们展示了通过设计的光学相位掩模可以实现组织的无透镜成像，该掩模用于创建由具有广谱空间频率的高对比度轮廓组成的点扩散函数。我们构建了一个包含“轮廓”相位掩模的无透镜显微镜原型，并使用它来对活体小鼠皮层中的钙动力学进行成像（视场约为 16 毫米），并对自由移动的水螅进行成像，以及志愿者口腔粘膜中的微血管。体内无透镜显微镜的低成本、小外形尺寸和计算重聚焦能力可能使其适用于临床用途，特别是用于对身体难以到达的区域进行成像。
