Optical projection tomography microscope

• US 20060096358A1
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: VisionGate, Inc., Washington University In St Louis
• Original Assignee: University of Washington, VisionGate, Inc.
• Inventors: Nelson, Alan C., Fauver, Mark E.
• Application Number:
  US10/975,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20060096358A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/61.72
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1433 using image recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/147 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1787 Tomographic, i.e. computerised reconstruction from projective measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0004 specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

A rotational system including a cylindrical container with a cylindrical container axis. The cylindrical container is inserted into at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers. A motor is coupled to rotate the cylindrical container.

Claims

1. A rotational system comprising:

a cylindrical container with a cylindrical container axis;

at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers, wherein the cylindrical container is inserted into the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers; and

a motor coupled to rotate the cylindrical container.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers comprises a set of pillars fabricated on a glass substrate forming an inverted v-groove.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the glass substrate comprises a microscope slide.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers restrains lateral motion of the cylindrical container orthogonal to the tube axis.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the motor comprises a stepper motor.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the stepper motor has a step size that produces a predetermined number of specimen views.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the stepper motor has a step size of 0.72 degrees or less, thus generating at least 250 angular positions around 180 degrees of rotation.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising index matching material encompassing the cylindrical container to provide a uniform optical medium.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the index matching material comprises material selected from the group consisting of optical gels, oils, fluids, polymer and epoxy.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical container includes a specimen held in a medium selected from the group consisting of index-matching epoxy, embedding media, plastic polymer, index-matching gels and index-matching viscous fluids.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical container is selected from the group consisting of a microcapillary tube, a capillary tube, a linear polymer medium and a syringe.

12. A microcapillary tube rotational joint comprising:

a microcapillary tube with a tube axis;

at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers, wherein the microcapillary tube is inserted into the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers; and

a motor coupled to rotate the microcapillary tube.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers comprises a set of pillars fabricated on a glass substrate forming an inverted v-groove.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the glass substrate comprises a microscope slide.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers restrains lateral motion of the microcapillary tube orthogonal to the tube axis.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the motor comprises a stepper motor.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the stepper motor has a step size that produces a predetermined number of specimen views.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the stepper motor has a step size of 0.72 degrees or less, thus generating at least 250 projections around 180 degrees of rotation.

19. The system of claim 12 further comprising index matching material encompassing the microcapillary tube to provide a uniform optical medium.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the index matching material comprises material selected from the group consisting of optical gels, oils, fluids, polymer and epoxy.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the microcapillary tube includes a specimen held in a medium selected from the group consisting of index-matching epoxy, embedding media, plastic polymer, index-matching gels and index-matching viscous fluids.

22. A microcapillary tube holder comprising:

a microcapillary tube;

at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers, wherein the microcapillary tube is inserted into the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers, wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers comprises a set of pillars fabricated on a microscope slide, and wherein each of the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers forms an inverted v-groove with the microscope slide adapted for clipping the microcapillary tube into place;

index matching material encapsulating the microcapillary tube to provide a uniform optical medium; and

a motor coupled to continuously rotate the microcapillary tube.

23. In a system for shadowgram formation for optical tomography including a piezoelectric transducer, an objective lens coupled to the piezoelectric transducer, a computer-controlled light source and condenser lens assembly, and a computer linked to control the piezoelectric transducer, the computer-controlled light source and condenser lens assembly, and the motor, and coupled to receive images from a video camera where the piezoelectric transducer axially moves the objective lens to scan a continuum of focal planes in the specimen during a single integration cycle of the video camera, a specimen assembly comprising:

a microcapillary tube containing a specimen disposed to be viewed through the objective lens;

at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers, wherein the microcapillary tube is inserted into the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers; and

a motor coupled to rotate the microcapillary tube.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers comprises a set of pillars fabricated on a suitable glass substrate forming an inverted v-groove.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers also functions as at least one rotational joint for the microcapillary tube that restrains lateral motion orthogonal to the tube axis.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the glass substrate comprises a microscope slide.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the motor comprises a stepper motor.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the stepper motor has a step size that produces a predetermined number of specimen views over a predetermined rotational range.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the stepper motor has a step size of 0.72 degrees or less, thus generating at least 250 projections around 180 degrees of rotation.

30. The system of claim 23 further comprising index matching material surrounding the microcapillary tube.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the index matching material comprises material selected from the group consisting of optical gels, oils, fluids, polymer and epoxy.

32. The system of claim 23 wherein the microcapillary tube includes a specimen held in a medium selected from the group consisting of index-matching epoxy, embedding media, plastic polymer, index-matching gels and index-matching viscous fluids.

33. The system of claim 23 wherein the specimen comprises a biological specimen stained with at least one of absorptive dyes, absorbing and light scattering dyes, antibody labels, antibodies conjugated with metal particles, quantum dots, plastic micro-spheres, fluorescent labels.

34. The system of claim 23 wherein the motor rotates continuously and/or sinusoidally to produce a predetermined number of specimen views.

35. A microcapillary tube holder comprising:

a microcapillary tube having a longitudinal tube axis;

at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers, wherein the microcapillary tube is inserted into the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers;

index matching material encapsulating the microcapillary tube to provide a uniform optical medium;

a motor coupled to continuously rotate the microcapillary tube around the longitudinal tube axis; and

a means of injecting cells into the capillary tube to direct cell motion along the longitudinal tube axis.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers comprises a set of pillars fabricated on a glass substrate forming an inverted v-groove with the glass substrate.

37. The system of claim 35 wherein the at least one pair of opposing polymer grippers also functions as at least one rotational joint for the microcapillary tube that restrains lateral motion orthogonal to the longitudinal tube axis.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein the glass substrate comprises a microscope slide.

39. The system of claim 35 wherein the motor comprises a stepper motor.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the stepper motor has a step size that produces a predetermined number of specimen views over a predetermined rotational range.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein the stepper motor has a step size of 0.72 degrees or less, thus generating at least 250 projections around 180 degrees of rotation.

42. The system of claim 35 further comprising index matching material surrounding the microcapillary tube.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the index matching material comprises material selected from the group consisting of optical gels, oils, fluids, polymer and epoxy.

44. The system of claim 35 wherein the microcapillary tube includes a specimen held in a medium selected from the group consisting of index-matching epoxy, embedding media, plastic polymer, index-matching gels and index-matching viscous fluids.

45. The system of claim 35 wherein the specimen comprises a biological specimen stained with at least one of absorptive dyes, absorbing and light scattering dyes, antibody labels, antibodies conjugated with metal particles, quantum dots, plastic micro-spheres, fluorescent labels.

46. The system of claim 35 wherein the motor rotates continuously and/or sinusoidally to produce a predetermined number of specimen views.

47. The system of claim 35 wherein the motion along the longitudinal tube axis is generated with a mechanically driven syringe.

48. The system of claim 35 wherein the motion along the longitudinal tube axis is generated with a flow cytometer wherein laminar flow is achieved.