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Fourier Ptychography Phenotypic Screening

Objective

The primary objective of this project is to overcome a critical bottleneck in drug discovery by developing an ultra-fast microscopy platform capable of imaging an entire well plate at sub-micron resolution in under one minute. This will accelerate AI-based phenotypic screening by over 1,000-fold, enabling the analysis of vast chemical libraries to find new medicines for major health threats like antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

This goal will be achieved by innovating Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy (FPM), a computational technique that provides both high resolution and a wide field of view. The project integrates three approaches to optimize FPM for well-plate screening: 1) defocus-based imaging to achieve super-resolution beyond the camera's physical pixel size limits; 2) a geometry-aware algorithm to computationally correct for optical distortions introduced by the well plate's meniscus and walls; and 3) a compressed-sensing strategy that exploits the sparse nature of biological samples to reconstruct high-quality images from significantly fewer captures, enabling high speed.

The project is highly relevant as it directly addresses the urgent need to accelerate preclinical research and supports EU health priorities, particularly the fight against AMR. By developing a breakthrough imaging technology and disseminating it via open-science practices, this work will strengthen European leadership in biophotonics and AI-driven life sciences and has strong potential for impact in other fields like digital pathology and industrial inspection.

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

JULIUS-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAT WURZBURG
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 217 965,12
Address
SANDERRING 2
97070 Wuerzburg
Germany

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Region
Bayern Unterfranken Würzburg, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data