The Lithuanian laser company Light Conversion made significant modifications to their infrared laser source (CRONUS 3P) to enhance its performance, compactness, and long-term stability. The German partner Miltenyi Biotec focused on extending the wavelength range accessible by their imaging platform, built upon the existing TriM Scope Matrix. Thanks to these modifications, the partners realized the complete integration of the new Light Conversion source within the microscope (dubbed SWIM), both in terms of spectral and optical properties, and software control.
Since summer 2023 research-grade SWIM systems are available to all project partners and installed at the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen and at the University.
Concurrently, the SME Medizinisches Laserzentrum Lübeck GmbH with the support of the University of Lübeck successfully built the first rugged, movable prototype of a microscope that implements SLIDE (diffraction-based) technology for high-speed imaging. The system has already been tested in multiple laboratories of the consortium on relevant samples. Meanwhile, the groups not directly involved in instrument development have made progress in refining and adapting AI-based software analysis tools, in developing ad hoc simulation for heat deposition and dissipation (one the most critical aspects to address when working in this wavelength/power range), in identifying samples and preparation protocols for the biomedical tasks of the project, and in carrying out the characterization of the optical and biophotonic properties of the new systems. Moreover, the partners have contacted and initiated collaborations with clinical experts outside the consortium to further enlarge the scope of the project and for demonstrating and disseminating the diagnostic potential of the new devices. These endeavors have been accompanied by comprehensive dissemination activities involving all project teams, including articles, conference presentations, outreach events, and, notably, the organization of a conference session dedicated to FAIR CHARM at a major European scientific event of 2023.
Since the installation (July 2023) of the first version of the prototype SWIM and SLIDE at the partners location, the consortium has proceeded with their systematic characterization and the assessment of their effect when applied to biological (including in vivo) samples. The former aspect has brought to the continuous optimization of the systems both in terms of performance and in terms of usability by end users. Some of the hardware and software improvements can be considered incremental if considered on their own, but overall, they allow the transfer of the instruments from an optical laboratory environment to realistic bioimaging settings. Some of the upgrades implemented, such as the extended dispersion compensation range of the OPA light source, also align with the broader exploitation of these instruments beyond the FAIR CHARM consortium. By enabling their integration with microscopy platforms from other suppliers, these enhancements further strengthen the impact on the scientific community. Finally, during 2024, the activities of the workpackage focused biomedical challenges have started, including an intense campaign of in vivo measurements within the regenerative medicine axis of the project addressing the detection of nanoparticle-labelled stem cells in rodents in the context of preclinical assays for a cell therapy to counteract Duchenne myopathy.
In response to discussions with the expert EU reviewers, the members of the Advisor Committee, and taking into full account evolving exploitation strategies by key industrial consortium partners, the consortium partners have also expanded the project focus beyond fundamental research. Specifically, they have explored prospective applications of label-free nonlinear imaging to targeted applications using dedicated, smaller footprint, cost-effective platforms. Applications not originally planned in the proposal have been demonstrated to be feasible due to the characteristics of the newly developed systems.
