Cellular Research

Research Microscopy

Life Science Research Microscopy

Want to dramatically improve the image quality, expand the analytical capability of existing systems and enable high quality digital imaging? Spectrally programmable illumination can provide these and many other benefits for microscopy systems, as well as enable the development of new procedures that were not possible with previous illumination technologies. To this end, OneLightT Spectra has successfully been used for conventional and immunostained tissues, fluorescent biomarker imaging and fluorescent confocal microscopy imaging.

When we say spectrally programmable, we mean it. We are not talking about a light source that is merely spectrally tunable like a monochrometer. OneLight Spectra can create any arbitrary spectral profile within the wavelength range and optical resolution of the system. Now, you can sit right on the excitation or absorption peak of your molecular target or biomarker. Single peaks, dual peaks, flat output – anything you want.

Unlike filter wheels, OneLight Spectra reacts quickly; faster than most shutters. Thousands of spectra can be processed per second, and exposures can be controlled with a precision not achievable with mechanical shutters. What this means for you is fast dynamic range compensation, fast and precise imaging, and new possibilities for reaction kinetics, live cell imaging or live animal imaging.

Reflectance or Absorption Applications

Do your illumination systems rely on lasers or mercury lamps with narrow wavelength energy peaks? These lines are often not present where they would be most useful, or are present where they are not wanted. OneLight Spectra can put lines anywhere you would like; improving the performance of existing filter based systems, providing you access to a wider range of optical markers and chemistries. OneLight Spectra enables the illumination to be matched to the chemistry, rather than trying to adapt the chemistry to match the illumination.

 

Reconstructed 3D Images of pollen grains from fluorescent confocal image slices

 
OneLight’s speed and precision allows it to interact at high speed with digital imaging systems, controlling both wavelength, intensity and, in many cases, allowing for the use of lower cost, faster image sensors that can reduce system costs by $10,000 or more.

OneLight Spectra can also be used to improve existing filter based illumination systems by preconditioning the light, improving filter performance and providing precision control of both exposure and intensity. This can allow you to replace expensive imagers with lower cost systems, while moving costly research lab imagers to other applications.

Fluorescence detection of biomarkers is used in many microscopes, microarray analyzers and other devices such as blood and chemistry analyzers. Most often, the wavelengths at which they can be excited overlap. OneLight Spectra can be tuned to exactly match their profiles, or you can select a part of the excitation profile that does not overlap significantly with another label’s excitation profile. Furthermore, you can dynamically adjust intensity at the various wavelengths to match the relative concentration of the labels in each sample, thus facilitating detection and quantitation. The use of OneLight as a tunable source provides flexibility in the choice of labels, and therefore imparts the ability to multiplex many applications.

OneLight Spectra is like having a filter factory in your code. Digital Illumination means that wavelength requirements can be defined in your application, not in the coating laboratory. In this way, the range of wavelengths you can use is no longer defined by how many band-pass or neutral density filters your filter wheel can accommodate (or how fast you can change them), but is fully programmable in your application.

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

OneLight will be introducing several standard wavelength ranges for general use, but don’t let that limit your imagination. We can’t be all things to all people, but if product volume justifies it, OneLight can provide custom solutions for highly specific illumination needs. Need a different wavelength range? Need more resolution? Need less resolution but more brightness? Ask us.

Color image of H&E stained tissue section (human cervix) reconstructed from R,G,B images selected from multispectral image stack (25 images 415 nm to 675 nm)

Operating in the wavelength range from the near-ultraviolet (350 nm) to the infrared (2500 nm), the possibilities are virtually limitless. There are a number of trade-offs that can be made between spectral resolution, wavelength range and light intensity, but a practical rule of thumb is that resolution will be about 1/30th of wavelength range.

When you can create any spectrum in software and control it dynamically in response to the real world, you can do almost anything. Let our people help your engineers discover new possibilities – with OneLight, control is made simple.

Biological Microscopy

General Biological and Clinical Microscopy

Employed in microscope systems, OneLight Spectra unlocks new opportunities in multispectral/hyperspectral imaging, genetic biomarkers and dynamic range expansion. The additional potential of this technology will be further realized as expansion of automated screening for a wide range of diseases including HIV, HPV, cervical and lung cancer increases.

• Eliminates need for multiple light sources and filters
• Enhances diagnosis of disease and other pathologies, including cancer screening
• Improvements to genetic biomarker, dynamic range expansion, multispectral and hyperspectral imaging applications

Image and Flow Cytometry

Both flow and image cytometry systems use light to measure the properties of cells. Whether you are counting cells in a flow cytometer or using image cytometry to measure cell characteristics on a slide or microplate, OneLight Spectra will grant you unprecedented control and new capabilities.

• Cytometer is not constrained by specific illumination filters or laser wavelengths
• Quickly respond to new cellular biomarkers, dyes and labels
• Enhance the range of your detector, whether it is an APD, PMT or an image sensor