High Speed/Low Dose Multi-Objective Autonomous Scanning Materials Imaging
- Technology Benefits
- • Compatibility with existing software • Accurate imaging of biological and soft materials with increased signal to noise ratios • Dramatic improvement of image capture efficiency
- Detailed Technology Description
- SHORT DESCRIPTION A software package that captures and reconstructs images for electron microscopy analysis. #software #analysis #application #optimization #instrumentation #microscopy #researchtool #equipment #method
- *Abstract
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BACKGROUND
Electron microscopy (EM) is fundamental to the study of the structure and composition of micro- to nanometer-structured materials. This length scale encompasses cells, proteins, and nano- and micro-therapeutics (e.g. liposomes). EM techniques rely on the interaction between a material and a high energy electron beam to generate information. However, exposure to a high energy electron beam often destroys "soft" materials, like cells or proteins, and prevents their accurate characterization, which limits the use of EM in significant industries such as the pharmaceutical industry. To acquire more robust samples or compositional measurements, such as with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, EM can require hours or days to capture images.
ABSTRACT
Northwestern researchers have developed a software package that dramatically reduces the required amount of sample exposure to an electron beam while maintaining the high degree of accuracy afforded by standard EM techniques. The software iteratively identifies target regions of an image area for analysis, directs the microscope to collect data in only those regions, and continuously builds an image. Specifically, the software first selects a small subset of the total pixels within the frame to image. The information and location of these pixels informs subsequent pixel selection and data collection. Using machine learning techniques and information contained in sparsely sampled pixels, the software then builds a full reconstruction of an image that closely adheres to an image captured in the standard mode. As a result, images that may have previously required days or hours to acquire can be measured in minutes (e.g. compositional maps). Further, this Based on the advanced approach, this strategy enables accurate characterization of biological and soft materials with limited damage. For ease of adoption, the software also integrates directly with existing EM software (e.g. Gatan) from a simple drop-down menu. This platform represents a transformational advance for the use of electron microscopy in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research as well as a significant efficiency improvement for all samples.
- *Publications
- None
- Country/Region
- USA
