University of Glasgow , Glasgow, UK.
Baylor College of Medicine , Houston, Texas, USA.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2024 Jul 9;382(2274):20230257. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2023.0257. Epub 2024 Jun 3.
The OpenFlexure Microscope is an accessible, three-dimensional-printed robotic microscope, with sufficient image quality to resolve diagnostic features including parasites and cancerous cells. As access to lab-grade microscopes is a major challenge in global healthcare, the OpenFlexure Microscope has been developed to be manufactured, maintained and used in remote environments, supporting point-of-care diagnosis. The steps taken in transforming the hardware and software from an academic prototype towards an accepted medical device include addressing technical and social challenges, and are key for any innovation targeting improved effectiveness in low-resource healthcare. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Open, reproducible hardware for microscopy'.
开放式显微镜是一种易于使用的三维打印机器人显微镜,具有足够的图像质量来分辨诊断特征,包括寄生虫和癌细胞。由于在全球医疗保健中获得实验室级显微镜是一个主要挑战,因此开发了开放式显微镜,以便在远程环境中制造、维护和使用,支持即时诊断。将硬件和软件从学术原型转变为可接受的医疗器械所采取的步骤包括解决技术和社会挑战,这对于任何旨在提高低资源医疗保健效果的创新都是关键。本文是 Theo Murphy 会议议题“显微镜用开放式、可重复使用硬件”的一部分。