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http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=tech-team-puts-microscope-on-cell-p-10-06-02&sc=CAT_TECH_2010060202

June 2, 2010 | 4 comments

Tech Team Puts Microscope on Cell Phone
Using shadows rather than light, researchers developed an experimental
system for imaging cells that attaches to a cell phone and sends the data to
diagnostic centers. Cynthia Graber reports
After hundreds of years, the most common, basic microscopes still operate by
means of the same old hardware: the lens. But what if you could do away with
that lens and create a microscope that fits on a cell phone? That's what
researchers led by Aydogan Ozcan at U.C.L.A. have developed. Ozcan recently
won an NSF (National Science Foundation) Early Career Development award for
his work [see http://bit.ly/d98kXu].

Normal microscopes image cells themselves. But Ozcan's team is imaging their
shadows. Tissue cells and bacteria are semi-transparent-light penetrating
through cells causes shadings and reveals texture. Ozcan uses an LED as his
light source, creating cellular shadows. An algorithm turns those shadows
into an image of the cells.

Millions of people in the developing world suffer because they're
misdiagnosed, or because simple diseases are missed. With this system, a
blood sample can be loaded into a small imaging device attached to a cell
phone. The cellular image generated from the sample can be transmitted to a
central computer in a nearby hospital. The image can be assessed for
disease, with the resulting diagnosis sent back to the field in just
minutes. Tests of the device begin in Africa this summer.

-Cynthia Graber





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