A major benefit of the Phase Focus Virtual Lens® in cell imaging is that it can generate very high contrast images without the need for staining.

Moreover, an optional very large working distance allows imaging of immersed cells in deep containers such as petri-dishes, multi well plates and flasks.

Studies have confirmed that it is possible to distinguish between live and dead unstained cells using the Phase Focus Virtual Lens®. Unlike conventional phase contrast techniques, TruWaveTM Magnitude Image images are free from “halo” and other artefacts. Also, any illumination variations across the field of view form part of the probe model calculated by the algorithm and therefore are cancelled out in the final sample modulus and phase images. These factors, together with the fact that theTruWaveTM Magnitude Image data are quantitative, support more accurate post-acquisition image processing such as segmentation and feature extraction.

Phase Focus Virtual Lens® benefits for cell imaging include:

  • Very high contrast without stains
  • Large working distances (=30 mm)
  • Wide fields of view independent of resolution
    • Arbitrarily large user-defined scan area without need for stitching
  • Post-acquisition focusing: “Perfect focus every time”
  • Exceptionally “clean” phase images for subsequent image analysis (cell characterisation; feature extraction)
    • No phase contrast ‘halo’ artefacts
    • Uniform background intensity, independent of source illumination uniformity
    • Segmentation; quantification of cell thickness, shape, refractive index
  • Lateral resolution 0.9µ typical
  • “Point-and-click” operation
    • Performance is essentially operator-independent
  • Straightforward integration with existing cell microscopy and high content screening cell assay tools