Three Dimensional Light Microscopy – Amarel

1st March 2007

A technique which enabled light microscopy to produce an in-focus image of a three-dimensional structure at all depths would be extremely valuable.

What is Three Dimensional Light Microscopy?

When such an object is examined by a conventional microscope the observer sees a sharp, in-focus, image of those parts of the object which lie near the focal plane together with a blurred, out-of-focus, image of the rest of the object.

An invention by Professor Tony Wilson and colleagues modifies the illumination system of the microscope so as to project onto the object a single spatial frequency grid pattern. This produces a conventional image together with an optically sectioned image with a fringe pattern superimposed.

The system devised extracts the optically sectioned image in real time in highly light efficient manner, using a standard illumination system. Being extremely simple, the system provides a very cost-effective method of obtaining three-dimensional images of volume structures. It can be implemented as a ‘bolt-on’ accessory to existing conventional microscopes. In these respects it has advantages over the more usual approach of using a confocal microscope.

The three dimensional light microscopy invention was licensed to Amarel Inc, a specialist US manufacturer of advanced optical systems in 1998. Amarel is a subsidiary of Avimo Group Limited.

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