MUSIQ has trained 15 ESRs enrolled in PhD programmes at leading Universities.
Regarding MUSIQ’s first scientific objective, significant work has been devoted to developing coherent Raman scattering (CRS) microscopy modalities, which offer chemical specificity while being label-free. Innovative microscope designs have been demonstrated, featuring improved performances in terms of controlling the excitation and detection of light, and in turn increasing the image contrast, sensitivity and specificity compared to existing systems. Furthermore, new bio-compatible Raman probes and quantitative image analysis methodologies have been developed. As a conclusion of the project, highlights of this objective include the demonstration of wide-field CRS microscopy enabled by advances in high-power ultrafast laser sources, the development and exploitation of vibrational Raman tags, and the biomedical application of CRS microscopy for diseased tissue diagnosis and drug delivery.
Toward MUSIQ’s second scientific objective, beneficiaries have been working on instrumentation technology developments and the application of computational techniques. As a conclusion of the project, highlights include i) the development of an innovative ultrafast transient holographic microscope, combining high temporal (<100 fs) and spatial (<500 nm) resolution, ii) the development of a novel set-up to perform ultrafast mid-IR/vibrational micro-spectroscopy of organic molecules, and iii) the measurement of ultrafast quantum coherences in bio/organic molecules, such as porphyrins and fluorescent proteins, in agreement with quantum mechanical simulations.
The third MUSIQ’s objective focused on increasing the spatial resolution and detection sensitivity of coherent nonlinear microscopy by exploiting plasmonic nanostructures. As a conclusion of the project, main results include i) the design and fabrication of novel plasmonic nano-antennas, ii) the demonstration of local-field enhanced CRS near a single nano-antenna for label-free chemical sensing at the nanoscale, iii) the strong coupling between single molecules and nano-cavities at room temperature, and iv) the development and quantitative characterisation of individual gold nanoparticle-protein conjugates for controlled cellular uptake and therapeutic delivery.
As to the training objectives, in addition to individual research projects, each ESR benefited from secondment opportunities with academic and non-academic partners. Moreover, the training programme included 6 weeks of network-wide events. Within these 6 MUSIQ weeks, 4 scientific Schools, 4 scientific Symposia, and 7 training courses in transferable skills were delivered.
Notably, a key feature of MUSIQ’s communication plan has been to create a series of 5 Innovation Newsletters, written by the ESRs and published on the website, with a focus on the latest innovation related to multiphoton microscopy and bioimaging. In addition, MUSIQ has produced two technology Roadmaps on the challenges and future directions of optical microscopy exploiting quantum coherent nonlinear phenomena. The 1st Roadmap, co-authored by all ESRs and PIs, was published open access in the Journal of Optics in 2021. Other important elements of MUSIQ’s dissemination activities have been i) a series of “science slam” short videos produced by the ESRs and posted on social media, as an outreach resource for the wider public, ii) over 20 papers published/submitted by the ESRs to scientific international peer reviewed journals, and iii) over 40 presentations of the ESRs at national/international conferences.
