New Technique Brings Astronomical Clarity to Biological Imaging

In the quest for sharper and more detailed microscopic images, researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus have adapted a technique from astronomy called phase diversity. This innovative approach promises to make adaptive optics, a class of methods used to correct distortions in imaging, more accessible to biological laboratories.

Traditionally, adaptive optics in microscopy has been complex, expensive, and time-consuming, limiting its widespread adoption. However, the phase diversity method offers a simpler and more cost-effective solution. By introducing known aberrations to a blurry image, it provides the necessary information to unblur the original image without major modifications to the existing imaging system.

The team first adapted the phase diversity algorithm from astronomy to microscopy and validated it through simulations. They then built a microscope with a deformable mirror and two additional lenses to create the known aberrations. Improvements were also made to the software used for phase diversity correction.

In a paper published in Optica, the researchers showed that their method could calibrate the deformable mirror 100 times faster than competing techniques. Furthermore, they successfully sensed and corrected randomly generated aberrations, resulting in clearer images of fluorescent beads and fixed cells.

According to the team, their next step is to test the phase diversity method on real-world samples, including living cells and tissues, and extend its application to more complex microscopes. The team aims to make the process more automated and user-friendly, with the ultimate goal of making adaptive optics accessible to a broader range of biological laboratories.