Our ERC project focused on the development of a novel compact optical microscope (the “NanoImager”) to the proof-of-concept stage and beyond. The NanoImager is a ultra-sensitive microscope based on single-molecule fluorescence, which is the most popular single-molecule detection method.
The use of single-molecule fluorescence has helped elucidate many many biological mechanisms, has allowed sub-diffraction cellular imaging, and enabled biosensing applications such as third-generation DNA sequencing. However, despite the SMF appeal, the few existing commercial SMF imagers are inaccessible to most researchers in academia and industry due to cost, complexity, and lack of infrastructure or know-how.
To address these challenges and help realize the full potential of single-molecule fluorescence methods, our team developed the Nanoimager, an optical microscope with a highly efficient and robust optical/mechanical design that improves stability and substantially reduces cost and size. These features made the microscope compact, with the main microscope module fitting comfortably on an A4 page, and the laser module resembling a desktop PC tower. To bring the Nanoimager closer to the market, we built an advanced prototype, and equipped it with easy-to-use, robust and efficient software for data acquisition and analysis. We worked with many early adopters, facility managers, and component suppliers to test the advanced prototype and prepared it for the broader market. Finally, we performed business-related activities which identified the formation of a spin-out company as the best route for commercialization; we thus proceeded with forming a spin-out company with the help of the technology transfer company of the University of Oxford.
The convenient yet sensitive detection platform offered by the Nanoimager should help address large needs in research, diagnostics, and chemical analysis, and spark new applications in many sectors.
