M Squared - St Andrews Biophotonics Nexus
Lead Research Organisation:
University of St Andrews
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Biophotonics describes a combination of biology or medicine and photonics, with photonics being the science and technology of generation, manipulation, and detection of light. Global Industry Analysts (San Jose, CA) forecast biophotonics markets to exceed $99 billion by the year 2018. Specifically, biophotonics methods are projected to outperform traditional diagnostic techniques, in part driven by the worldwide need for new innovations to address challenges in for example, healthcare, neuroscience, cancer biology and disease management. Additionally, there is an increasing space in optical analysis (e.g. spectrometers, analysers) which are required for a suite of applications more broadly in laser applications both in fields such as food, drink authentication and emergent areas using quantum technology. The international growth in photonics investment needs to be mirrored by a similar expansion of corresponding UK strengths at the University-Industry interface, which is at the heart of this EPSRC Prosperity Partnership.
This grant brings together a partnership between EPSRC, The University of St Andrews and M Squared Lasers to address major research challenges that ultimately have business value and will add to quality of life, The innovative advances will include:
1) a new suite of imaging apparatus where we illuminate with a broad sheet of light rather than point by point scanning. This leads to faster image acquisition and lower sample exposure, thus leading to less "light" damage". Such imaging can lead to new insights for studies in neuroscience, diseases of the mind (dementia) and developmental biology. In turn this will shed light on numerous biological processes including the development of disease. Furthermore, the technology will be made high throughput so we can analyse multiple samples very quickly. They is relevant of the the pharmaceutical industry and drug discovery areas
2) We will look at light scattering (Raman) analysis which gives an optical readout of the chemical compassion of a sample. This will be developed in compact forms as well as with paper as medium to hold the sample. Studies will include use for anti-cancer drug monitoring, studies of infection and blood based disorders including sepsis.
3) we will use the ideas based around multiple laser interference - speckle - which is rich in information on the illuminating sources. This will herald step change for new forms of laser analysis of wavelength and even recording multiple wavelengths (spectra) from samples
4) we will look at new types of ultra compact microscopes that will be able to image below the diffraction limits, that is 100nm or smaller. these can be used in future in pathology to look at tissue biopsy (e.g. nephrotic disease) and ultimately displace other more expensive, time consuming approaches such as electron microscopy
This grant brings together a partnership between EPSRC, The University of St Andrews and M Squared Lasers to address major research challenges that ultimately have business value and will add to quality of life, The innovative advances will include:
1) a new suite of imaging apparatus where we illuminate with a broad sheet of light rather than point by point scanning. This leads to faster image acquisition and lower sample exposure, thus leading to less "light" damage". Such imaging can lead to new insights for studies in neuroscience, diseases of the mind (dementia) and developmental biology. In turn this will shed light on numerous biological processes including the development of disease. Furthermore, the technology will be made high throughput so we can analyse multiple samples very quickly. They is relevant of the the pharmaceutical industry and drug discovery areas
2) We will look at light scattering (Raman) analysis which gives an optical readout of the chemical compassion of a sample. This will be developed in compact forms as well as with paper as medium to hold the sample. Studies will include use for anti-cancer drug monitoring, studies of infection and blood based disorders including sepsis.
3) we will use the ideas based around multiple laser interference - speckle - which is rich in information on the illuminating sources. This will herald step change for new forms of laser analysis of wavelength and even recording multiple wavelengths (spectra) from samples
4) we will look at new types of ultra compact microscopes that will be able to image below the diffraction limits, that is 100nm or smaller. these can be used in future in pathology to look at tissue biopsy (e.g. nephrotic disease) and ultimately displace other more expensive, time consuming approaches such as electron microscopy
Planned Impact
We see the following beneficiaries from our Prosperity Partnership
(i) Business: Our jointly developed Prosperity programme will have major business benefits to MSL. The joint leverage with EPSRC funds and cohesive working will lead to MSL (via M Squared Life) opening up new business opportunities in the life sciences and imaging sectors, as examples. Furthermore, the ethos of this grant means MSL can undertake work that would otherwise be too risky or ambitious and benefit from interactions with a world leading University partner. This ultimately will lead to growth at MSL. We note this is not only in the new "life sciences" markets as noted above but the studies and dissemination will lead to an increased visibility for their laser products (e.g. Solstis, Sprite, new 3P laser) in microscopy itself, that in turn will lead to new applications and ultimately increases sales for their core business area.
(ii) Academic With the added value of working with MSL through this partnership, UStA will be able to realise new research concepts and international profile in areas that would be very challenging to undertake otherwise. UStA will benefit immensely from the input of MSL resources (advanced lasers, new 3P lasers, specialist engineering advice) that will elevate their research outputs. In turn, the aim is to reinforce and enhance UStA and the UK's reputation as world leader in this area of photonics
(iii) UK economic and societal benefits: Due to the broad scope of the Prosperity Programme, it can have a range of beneficiaries in the UK and indeed worldwide. Firstly the skills pipeline in training key staff (PDRAs, students, MSL staff) in this exceptional environment will lead to a cohort of highly trained personnel who will be very well prepared to develop careers in this very important space. In terms of the UK economic benefit MSL would expect to increase their workforce and vastly expand their revenues as a consequence of this programme. In turn, this would elevate MSL to a new level on the world stage with benefits for UK visibility and standing in this area.
(i) Business: Our jointly developed Prosperity programme will have major business benefits to MSL. The joint leverage with EPSRC funds and cohesive working will lead to MSL (via M Squared Life) opening up new business opportunities in the life sciences and imaging sectors, as examples. Furthermore, the ethos of this grant means MSL can undertake work that would otherwise be too risky or ambitious and benefit from interactions with a world leading University partner. This ultimately will lead to growth at MSL. We note this is not only in the new "life sciences" markets as noted above but the studies and dissemination will lead to an increased visibility for their laser products (e.g. Solstis, Sprite, new 3P laser) in microscopy itself, that in turn will lead to new applications and ultimately increases sales for their core business area.
(ii) Academic With the added value of working with MSL through this partnership, UStA will be able to realise new research concepts and international profile in areas that would be very challenging to undertake otherwise. UStA will benefit immensely from the input of MSL resources (advanced lasers, new 3P lasers, specialist engineering advice) that will elevate their research outputs. In turn, the aim is to reinforce and enhance UStA and the UK's reputation as world leader in this area of photonics
(iii) UK economic and societal benefits: Due to the broad scope of the Prosperity Programme, it can have a range of beneficiaries in the UK and indeed worldwide. Firstly the skills pipeline in training key staff (PDRAs, students, MSL staff) in this exceptional environment will lead to a cohort of highly trained personnel who will be very well prepared to develop careers in this very important space. In terms of the UK economic benefit MSL would expect to increase their workforce and vastly expand their revenues as a consequence of this programme. In turn, this would elevate MSL to a new level on the world stage with benefits for UK visibility and standing in this area.
People |
ORCID iD |
Kishan Dholakia (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Zuppolini S
(2017)
Label-free fiber optic optrode for the detection of class C ß-lactamases expressed by drug resistant bacteria.
in Biomedical optics express
Yang Z
(2019)
Light sheet microscopy with acoustic sample confinement.
in Nature communications
Wijesinghe P
(2022)
Experimentally unsupervised deconvolution for light-sheet microscopy with propagation-invariant beams.
in Light, science & applications
Veettikazhy M
(2020)
Multi-photon attenuation-compensated light-sheet fluorescence microscopy.
in Scientific reports
Shillito GE
(2022)
To focus-match or not to focus-match inverse spatially offset Raman spectroscopy: a question of light penetration.
in Optics express
Nylk J
(2018)
Light-sheet microscopy with attenuation-compensated propagation-invariant beams.
in Science advances
Morizet J
(2023)
UVA Hyperspectral Light-Sheet Microscopy for Volumetric Metabolic Imaging: Application to Preimplantation Embryo Development
in ACS Photonics
McMillan L
(2022)
Meshless Monte Carlo radiation transfer method for curved geometries using signed distance functions
in Journal of Biomedical Optics
Gusachenko I
(2017)
Multimode fibre based imaging for optically cleared samples.
in Biomedical optics express
Gupta RK
(2019)
Label-free optical hemogram of granulocytes enhanced by artificial neural networks.
in Optics express
Gupta R
(2023)
High throughput hemogram of T cells using digital holographic microscopy and deep learning
in Optics Continuum
Gostic M
(2019)
The dyslexia susceptibility KIAA0319 gene shows a specific expression pattern during zebrafish development supporting a role beyond neuronal migration.
in The Journal of comparative neurology
Fleming H
(2020)
Through-bottle whisky sensing and classification using Raman spectroscopy in an axicon-based backscattering configuration.
in Analytical methods : advancing methods and applications
Facchin M
(2023)
Measuring picometre-level displacements using speckle patterns produced by an integrating sphere
in Scientific Reports
Escobet-Montalbán A
(2018)
Three-photon light-sheet fluorescence microscopy.
in Optics letters
Escobet-Montalbán A
(2018)
Three-photon light-sheet fluorescence microscopy
Dwapanyin GO
(2023)
Investigation of refractive index dynamics during in vitro embryo development using off-axis digital holographic microscopy.
in Biomedical optics express
Corsetti S
(2021)
Optical manipulation: advances for biophotonics in the 21st century.
in Journal of biomedical optics
Corsetti S
(2020)
Widefield light sheet microscopy using an Airy beam combined with deep-learning super-resolution
in OSA Continuum
Corsetti S
(2019)
Light sheet fluorescence microscopy for neuroscience.
in Journal of neuroscience methods
Chow DJX
(2021)
Does artificial intelligence have a role in the IVF clinic?
in Reproduction & fertility
Chow D
(2024)
Viewing early life without labels: optical approaches for imaging the early embryo
in Biology of Reproduction
Title | Principal Component Analysis of multiwavelength speckle |
Description | Three lasers of different wavelengths are overlapped and transmitted through a 1m-long step-index multi-mode optical fibre. Modal interference and scattering combine to produce a single speckle pattern. The speckle pattern is tracked using Principal Component Analysis to retrieve the wavelengths of each laser. (top) Parametric plot of wavelengths vs time. (bottom) Parametric plot of Principal Components 2 - 4 vs time. The parametric plots show that the PC-space is related to the wavelength-space by a three-dimensional rotation. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2020 |
URL | https://opticapublishing.figshare.com/articles/media/Principal_Component_Analysis_of_multiwavelength... |
Title | Principal Component Analysis of multiwavelength speckle |
Description | Three lasers of different wavelengths are overlapped and transmitted through a 1m-long step-index multi-mode optical fibre. Modal interference and scattering combine to produce a single speckle pattern. The speckle pattern is tracked using Principal Component Analysis to retrieve the wavelengths of each laser. (top) Parametric plot of wavelengths vs time. (bottom) Parametric plot of Principal Components 2 - 4 vs time. The parametric plots show that the PC-space is related to the wavelength-space by a three-dimensional rotation. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2020 |
URL | https://opticapublishing.figshare.com/articles/media/Principal_Component_Analysis_of_multiwavelength... |
Description | We have just completed a study showing that the use of light fields can enhance penetration for imaging. This is published in Science Advances and we will follow up with work simplifying the approach for commercialisation and multiphoton use. The IP for the study has been awarded and we secured a grant with Scottish Enterprise to commercialise the work. Further work with Raman analysis has gained interest from UK and overseas parties and we are aiming to secure further funding. We have secured monies for exploring provenance of high end drinks with this approach (Major European company). |
Exploitation Route | New use of imaging for neuroscience studies, drug screening, fundamental studies of developmental biology and even reproductive science, Raman analyses for food/drink |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology Other |
URL | http://opticalmanipulationgroup.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk |
Description | Company M Squared have used outputs of new beam shaping work to engage and inform new potential customers in light sheet imaging. M Squared developed the Aurora light sheet. This has seen approx 30 sales and new biomedical data. |
First Year Of Impact | 2012 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Impact Types | Economic |
Title | Data Underpinning "To focus-match or not to focus-match inverse spatially offset Raman spectroscopy: a question of light penetration" |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/datasets/data-underpinning-to-focusmatch-or-not-to-focusma... |
Title | Data for signedMCRT publication |
Description | Data for each figure in upcoming publication of Meshless Monte Carlo Radiation Transfer Method for Curved Geometries using Signed Distance Functions in the journal of biomedical optics. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/5780305 |
Title | Data underpinning " Through-Bottle Whisky Sensing and Classification using Raman Spectroscopy in an Axicon-Based Backscattering Configuration" |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk:443/portal/en/datasets/data-underpinning--throughbottle-whisky-sensi... |
Title | Data underpinning "Measuring picometre-level displacements using speckle patterns produced by an integrating sphere" |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/datasets/data-underpinning-measuring-picometrelevel-displa... |
Title | Data underpinning: "Investigation of refractive index dynamics during in vitro embryo development using off-axis digital holographic microscopy" |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/datasets/data-underpinning-investigation-of-refractive-ind... |
Title | Data underpinning: "UVA Hyperspectral Light-Sheet Microscopy for Volumetric Metabolic Imaging: Application to Preimplantation Embryo Development" |
Description | Data is not yet available and that the authors of the associated publication should be contacted for further details. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/datasets/data-underpinning-uva-hyperspectral-lightsheet-... |
Title | Data underpinning: A label-free optical hemogram of granulocytes enhanced by artificial neural networks |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data underpinning: Femtometer-resolved simultaneous measurement of multiple laser wavelengths in a speckle wavemeter |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk:443/portal/en/datasets/data-underpinning-femtometerresolved-simultan... |
Title | Data underpinning: Learned deconvolution using physics priors for structured light-sheet microscopy |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/datasets/data-underpinning-learned-deconvolution-using-phy... |
Title | Data underpinning: Light sheet microscopy with acoustic sample confinement |
Description | Research data associated with the publication: Light sheet microscopy with acoustic sample confinement. The data files are not yet publicly available. Enquiries and requests for data should be directed to the publication's corresponding authors. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data underpinning: Light-sheet microscopy with attenuation-compensated propagation-invariant beams |
Description | The data will be available soon. In the meantime, if you would like to access the dataset, please, email research-data@st-andrews.ac.uk. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data underpinning: Multi-photon attenuation-compensated light-sheet fluorescence microscopy |
Description | Data underpinning the publication: Multi-photon attenuation-compensated light-sheet fluorescence microscopy |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/datasets/data-underpinning-multiphoton-attenuationcompensa... |
Title | Data underpinning: Overcoming the speckle correlation limit to achieve a fiber wavemeter with attometer resolution |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data underpinning: Three-photon light-sheet fluorescence microscopy |
Description | Research data related to publication: Three-photon light-sheet fluorescence microscopy. The data files are not yet publicly available. Enquiries and requests for data should be directed to the publication's corresponding authors. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Widefield light sheet microscopy using an Airy beam combined with deep-learning super-resolution (dataset) |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk:443/portal/en/datasets/widefield-light-sheet-microscopy-using-an-air... |
Title | lewisfish/signedMCRT: First release |
Description | First release |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2022 |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/6874268 |