The Spero microscope uses the firm's Quantum Cascade Laser technology. It is suited specifically for the mid-infrared spectral imaging analysis of biomedical and materials research samples

Daylight Solutions, a manufacturer of molecular detection and imaging solutions in the mid-infrared, has announced delivery of what it claims is the world’s first commercially available laser-based infrared microscopy platform. 


The company’s advanced microscope was delivered to Rebekah Drezek’s Optical Molecular Imaging and Nanobiotechnology Laboratory at Rice University in Houston, Texas. 


The system will initially be used to conduct cutting-edge research into laser-based infrared microscopy for the optical diagnosis of breast cancer.


"We are delighted to have received the Spero IR microscopy system," states Drezek. “The combination of spectral tuneability and rapid imaging in these wavelength ranges is unprecedented and we are very excited to begin using the system to develop enhanced optical cancer diagnostics."


The award-winning microscope, marketed under the brand name Spero, opens up a new world of research possibilities with breakthrough chemical imaging and analysis on a real-time basis.


Powered by Daylight’s broadly tuneable Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) technology, Spero offers a combination of excellent visibility, instantaneous results in “live mode," and a small resource footprint to easily fit into any lab or clinical setting.





Spero microscope


The system's capabilities are further augmented by automated computational algorithms that enable identification and segmentation of complex chemical signatures. Applications for Spero range from label-free tissue and cell diagnostics in Life Sciences to materials analysis in industrial markets.


Drezek’s initial phase of research, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Engineering Research Centre Collaborative Opportunity (SECO) program, will seek to demonstrate the unique advantages of a tuneable, mid-infrared laser-based system over that of a conventional Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) microscope. 


The program will also include an evaluation of the Spero’s full and sparse data collection modes.  In full data collection mode, a complete spectral scan can be collected in five minutes. This will be compared to the sparse data collection mode, in which only a small subset of key wavelengths are rapidly collected in seconds.


During the second phase of the research, the MCF10A and SKBR3 breast cell lines will be analysed with the system to assess the predictive value of the infrared spectral data for normal, cancer, and cancer sub-types.


“We have always appreciated our close collaboration with Drezek and Rice University and are proud to deliver our Spero microscope to her lab," says Daylight Solutions President, Paul Larson.  “We know that her talented team will leverage the advanced capabilities of the instrument to make a very significant impact on the continuing fight against breast cancer."


 

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