Brillouin Imaging with Auxiliary Modality for Heterogeneous Samples
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Solution Overview
Problem
Brillouin microscopy is a slow technique due to its weak optical signal, requiring long exposure times and being impractical for living biological samples that change or move, and it struggles with heterogeneous samples, leading to inaccurate measurements due to averaging of different materials within a voxel and errors from frequency and mechanical drift.
Innovation Solution
Combining Brillouin light scattering with an auxiliary imaging modality to guide Brillouin measurements to specific regions of interest, determine material composition within voxels, and correct for measurement errors using a calibration module, thereby reducing acquisition time and improving measurement accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Brillouin microscopy is used to obtain mechanical properties of samples, then measurement precision is improved, but acquisition time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sample into multiple regions of interest (ROIs) and performs Brillouin measurements separately on each ROI rather than scanning the entire sample. This segmentation approach reduces the total number of measurement points from potentially millions to a manageable subset, decreasing acquisition time from hours to minutes while maintaining measurement precision in each targeted region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary optical imaging (such as fluorescence or confocal imaging) to identify and map regions of interest before performing Brillouin measurements. This preliminary action allows the system to pre-select which areas require detailed mechanical property analysis, avoiding unnecessary measurements in irrelevant areas and significantly reducing overall acquisition time.
2Loss of information
If Brillouin microscopy scans the entire sample to obtain comprehensive mechanical properties, then measurement completeness is improved, but acquisition time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sample into multiple regions of interest based on optical imaging data, allowing comprehensive coverage of relevant areas without requiring a complete scan of the entire sample. This ensures measurement completeness for all biologically relevant regions while reducing total acquisition time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary optical imaging to identify all regions of interest before Brillouin measurement, ensuring that no relevant area is missed. This preliminary mapping guarantees measurement completeness while enabling selective measurement that reduces overall acquisition time compared to exhaustive scanning.
3Illumination intensity
If a large voxel size is used in Brillouin measurement, then signal strength is improved, but spatial resolution deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using smaller voxel sizes specifically in regions where high spatial resolution is critical (such as cell cortex or subcellular structures), while accepting larger voxels in regions where signal strength is the primary concern. This localized optimization allows the system to achieve both strong signals and high resolution where needed, rather than using a uniform voxel size throughout the sample.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces Brillouin measurement acquisition times, provides more accurate mechanical property assessments of heterogeneous samples by unmixing Brillouin signatures, and corrects for errors caused by drift, enhancing the technique's applicability to dynamic and complex biological samples.
Implementation Method 1
Brillouin light scattering, which arises from the interaction of light with acoustic phonons within a material, can be used to measure and/or image the mechanical properties of a sample
Implementation Method 2
directing first interrogating light from a first imaging modality to a sample and detecting first light from the sample using the first imaging modality
Data Source
AI summary
A Brillouin modality can be supplemented by an auxiliary modality, such as an optical imaging modality or a spectroscopy modality. In some embodiments, the auxiliary modality can be used to guide the Brillouin measurement to a desired region of interest, so that acquisition times for the Brillouin measurement can be reduced as compared to interrogating the entire sample. The auxiliary modality may have an acquisition speed faster than that of the Brillouin modality. In some embodiment, the auxiliary modality determines a composition of materials within a voxel in the sample interrogated by the Brillouin modality. Using the information provided by the auxiliary modality, the Brillouin signatures corresponding to the materials within the voxel can be unmixed, thereby providing a more accurate measurement of the sample.