Democratising “Microscopi”: a 3D printed automated XYZT fluorescence imaging system for teaching, outreach and fieldwork

Wincott, Matthew; Jefferson, Ann; Dobbie, Ian M.; Booth, Martin J.; Davis, Ilan; Parton, Richard M.

doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16536.2

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The Microscopi project aims to democratize microscopy with portable, low‐cost, 3D printed and self‐built systems capable of multimodal imaging (bright field, dark field, pseudo‐phase, and fluorescent microscopy). [ 60 ] It uses an automated XYZt imaging system controlled by a tablet or smartphone using a simple GUI. The PUMA microscope adds the possibility of direct visual observation with an augmented reality display.…”

Section: D Printed Microscopy Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Field Guide to 3D Printing in Optical Microscopy for Life Sciences

et al. 2021

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Section: D Printed Microscopy Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Field Guide to 3D Printing in Optical Microscopy for Life Sciences

et al. 2021

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“…Some low cost DIY microscope systems are designed for portability for point-of-care solutions to specific problems, such as cytometry, [7][8][9] imaging for diagnostics, [10][11][12][13][14][15] parasite classification, 11,16,17 agricultural field work, 18 electrophysiology, [19][20][21] or education. [22][23][24][25][26][27] Such systems provide useful guidance for designing microscopes, but make image quality sacrifices in order to meet portability and cost requirements. While complete motorized microscopes might be outside the budget of a small lab, the optical components themselves, such as complex multiband fluorescence filters, may be affordable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automated Stimulation and Long-Term Remote Monitoring of Multi-Plex Microfluidic Organoid Chips

Sachs,

Costa

2023

Preprint

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Developing a novel microfluidic organoid system required many experiments and iterations due to lack of knowledge about the relevant developmental biology. Collecting data on the developing organoids quickly escalated into a bottleneck as high throughput and long term culture resulted in a rapidly increasing number of specimens being observed. Commercially available automated microscope systems exist, but were either too expensive or not appropriate, and could not be modified. To satisfy the increasing need for automated data collection, a custom robotic system was developed to collect data from within a standard incubator. An X-Y belt driven gantry was designed with an architecture chosen to balance high accuracy, low cost, speed, and range of motion. Focus control was implemented with dual miniature leadscrews. A linear sliding mechanism was used to switch between two microscope objectives. 3D printed chip attachments were designed to implement illuminators for bright field imaging, and electrodes for stimulating the cardiac organoids. A fluorescent filter block was designed using a 3D printed piece to hold optical components, and a multi-band filter set that allowed for three color fluorescence without moving parts. A pulley driven tilting stage gravitationally biased the organoids during development. In order to ensure accurate image collection despite the inevitable position shifting of the chips, an image processing pipeline was developed for locating organoids using geometrical microfluidic chip features. The resulting robotic system automated imaging data collection on organoids and electrical and mechanical stimulation, in addition to being modifiable for future projects.

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A review on low‐cost microscopes for Open Science

Tercero

Bueno

Ruíz-Santaquiteria

et al. 2022

Microscopy Res & Technique

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This article presents a review after an exhaustive search that yielded 23 works carried out in the last decade for the availability of optical microscopes with open hardware as a low‐cost alternative to commercial systems. These works were developed with the aim of covering needs within several areas such as: Bio Sciences research in institutions with limited resources, diagnosis of diseases and health screenings in large populations in developing countries, and training in educational contexts with a need for high availability of equipment and low replacement cost. The analysis of the selected works allows us to classify the analyzed solutions into two main categories, for which their essential characteristics are enumerated: portable field microscopes and multipurpose automated microscopes. Moreover, this work includes a discussion on the degree of maturity of the solutions in terms of the adoption of practices aligned with the development of Open Science. Research Highlights Concise review on low‐cost microscopes for developing Open Science, exposing the role of smartphone‐based microscopy. The work classifies microscopes in two main categories: (1) portable field microscopes, and (2) multipurpose automated microscopes.

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Democratising “Microscopi”: a 3D printed automated XYZT fluorescence imaging system for teaching, outreach and fieldwork

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

The Field Guide to 3D Printing in Optical Microscopy for Life Sciences

The Field Guide to 3D Printing in Optical Microscopy for Life Sciences

Automated Stimulation and Long-Term Remote Monitoring of Multi-Plex Microfluidic Organoid Chips

A review on low‐cost microscopes for Open Science

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