Abstract: The system includes: a sample holder configured to hold a stained tissue sample; an objective positioned to gather and focus light from the stained tissue sample; and a white light source that produces unpolarized white light and a polarizing beam splitter that allows one polarization direction of the white light to pass through to form an illumination beam having a first polarization direction, which is directed through the objective and onto the stained tissue sample causing the stained tissue sample to remit light that passes back through the objective and into the polarizing beam splitter. The polarizing beam splitter divides the remitted light into two orthogonally polarized remitted light beams, wherein one of the beams provides an imaging beam, which has a second polarization direction that is substantially orthogonal to the first polarization direction. Finally, the system includes an imaging device, which captures the imaging beam.

Abstract: During operation of the system, a sample of the biological material is placed against a surface of a waveguide, which is comprised of a UV-transparent waveguide material. Then, the system launches UV light from a UV light source via side-illumination into an input end of the waveguide, wherein a launch angle for components of the UV light is greater than a critical angle between the waveguide material and air, so that the UV light propagates through the waveguide via total internal reflection to reach the sample. The launch angle is also less than a critical angle between the waveguide material and the sample, so that when the UV light reaches the sample, the UV light escapes the waveguide through refraction to illuminate the sample. Finally, an imaging mechanism located on an opposite side of the waveguide from the sample captures an image of the illuminated sample.

Abstract: During operation of the system, a sample of the biological material is placed against a surface of a waveguide, which is comprised of a UV-transparent waveguide material. Then, the system launches UV light from a UV light source via side-illumination into an input end of the waveguide, wherein a launch angle for components of the UV light is greater than a critical angle between the waveguide material and air, so that the UV light propagates through the waveguide via total internal reflection to reach the sample. The launch angle is also less than a critical angle between the waveguide material and the sample, so that when the UV light reaches the sample, the UV light escapes the waveguide through refraction to illuminate the sample. Finally, an imaging mechanism located on an opposite side of the waveguide from the sample captures an image of the illuminated sample.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that images a tissue sample. During operation, the system receives the tissue sample, which has been stained using absorbing and fluorescently emitting stains. Next, the system illuminates the tissue sample with excitation light having a wavelength or wavelengths in a range that covers a portion of an absorption spectrum for both fluorescently emitting and absorbing stains, whereby the excitation light interacts with stained tissue located inside the tissue sample to both limit penetration depth and generate emitted dye fluorescence and tissue autofluorescence that provides a backlight, which is absorbed by features in stained tissue located on or near the surface of the tissue sample. Next, the system uses an imaging device to capture an image of emitted fluorescence that emanates from the surface of the tissue sample.

Abstract: During operation of the system, a sample of the biological material is placed against a surface of a waveguide, which is comprised of a UV-transparent waveguide material. Then, the system launches UV light from a UV light source via side-illumination into an input end of the waveguide, wherein a launch angle for components of the UV light is greater than a critical angle between the waveguide material and air, so that the UV light propagates through the waveguide via total internal reflection to reach the sample. The launch angle is also less than a critical angle between the waveguide material and the sample, so that when the UV light reaches the sample, the UV light escapes the waveguide through refraction to illuminate the sample. Finally, an imaging mechanism located on an opposite side of the waveguide from the sample captures an image of the illuminated sample.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that images a tissue sample. During operation, the system receives the tissue sample, which has been stained using absorbing and fluorescently emitting stains. Next, the system illuminates the tissue sample with excitation light having a wavelength or wavelengths in a range that covers a portion of an absorption spectrum for both fluorescently emitting and absorbing stains, whereby the excitation light interacts with stained tissue located inside the tissue sample to both limit penetration depth and generate emitted dye fluorescence and tissue autofluorescence that provides a backlight, which is absorbed by features in stained tissue located on or near the surface of the tissue sample. Next, the system uses an imaging device to capture an image of emitted fluorescence that emanates from the surface of the tissue sample.

Abstract: The system includes: a sample holder configured to hold a stained tissue sample; an objective positioned to gather and focus light from the stained tissue sample; and a white light source that produces unpolarized white light and a polarizing beam splitter that allows one polarization direction of the white light to pass through to form an illumination beam having a first polarization direction, which is directed through the objective and onto the stained tissue sample causing the stained tissue sample to remit light that passes back through the objective and into the polarizing beam splitter. The polarizing beam splitter divides the remitted light into two orthogonally polarized remitted light beams, wherein one of the beams provides an imaging beam, which has a second polarization direction that is substantially orthogonal to the first polarization direction. Finally, the system includes an imaging device, which captures the imaging beam.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that produces a composite image of a stained tissue sample by combining image data obtained through brightfield and fluorescence imaging modes. While operating in a brightfield imaging mode, the system illuminates the stained tissue sample with broadband light, and collects image data comprising a brightfield histology image using a multispectral imaging system. While operating in a fluorescence imaging mode, the system illuminates the stained tissue sample with one or more bands of excitation light, and collects image data associated with resulting fluorescence emissions using the multispectral imaging system. Next, the system processes the image data collected during the brightfield and/or fluorescence imaging modes. Finally, the system combines the image data collected during the brightfield and fluorescence imaging modes to produce the composite image.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that performs a three-dimensional (3D) imaging operation on a sample of biological material. During operation, the system obtains the sample of biological material, and performs a sequence of sectioning operations on the sample to successively remove sections of the sample. While the sequence of sectioning operations is taking place, the system performs an imaging operation on an exposed block face of the sample after each sectioning operation using microscopy with ultraviolet surface excitation (MUSE) surface-weighted imaging Finally, the system assembles images produced by the block-face imaging operations into a three-dimensional dataset for viewing and analysis.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that performs microscopy imaging with an extended depth of field. This system includes a stage for holding a sample, and a light source for illuminating the sample, wherein the light source produces ultraviolet light with a wavelength in the 230 nm to 300 nm range to facilitate microscopy with ultraviolet surface excitation (MUSE) imaging. The system also includes an imaging device, comprising an objective that magnifies the illuminated sample, and a sensor array that captures a single image of the magnified sample. The system also includes a controller, which controls the imaging device and/or the stage to scan a range of focal planes for the sample during an acquisition time for the single image. The system additionally includes an image-processing system, which processes the single image using a deconvolution technique to produce a final image with an extended depth of field.

Abstract: During operation of the system, a sample of the biological material is placed against a surface of a waveguide, which is comprised of a UV-transparent waveguide material. Then, the system launches UV light from a UV light source via side-illumination into an input end of the waveguide, wherein a launch angle for components of the UV light is greater than a critical angle between the waveguide material and air, so that the UV light propagates through the waveguide via total internal reflection to reach the sample. The launch angle is also less than a critical angle between the waveguide material and the sample, so that when the UV light reaches the sample, the UV light escapes the waveguide through refraction to illuminate the sample. Finally, an imaging mechanism located on an opposite side of the waveguide from the sample captures an image of the illuminated sample.

Abstract: An imaging system is disclosed which provides means for obtaining images with essentially diffraction-limited spatial resolution, and can distinguish between several species of probes within a sample. It may be used with fluorescent, luminescent, up-converting reporter, quantum dot, and other types of probes. Two or more exposures are taken through a filter which expresses different filter states, one of which is preferably a relatively neutral state with high transmission for all wavelengths of interest, and the others of which provide predetermined variation in transmission that are preferably sloping or periodic in wavelength. The probe species is identified by the ratio of response at the various filter settings.