Quantum mechanics rules. It dictates how particles and forces interact, and thus how atoms and molecules work -- for example, what happens when a molecule goes from a higher-energy state to a lower-energy one. But beyond the simplest molecules, the details become very complex. "Quantum mech ... more
Small, beautiful and additive-free
Radically new microscope commercialized
The National Research Council Canada (NRC) recently helped Olympus to design and commercialize a CARS (Coherent Anti-stokes Raman Scattering) microscope.
The new Olympus microscope is based on a femtosecond non-linear optical process called CARS, which stands for Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering. CARS is a molecule-specific imaging method that permits researchers to see particular chemicals and structures inside living cells, without adding any dyes or stains: CARS is additive-free! While CARS itself is not new, the NRC team developed a simple, robust yet high performance approach that permitted rapid commercialization. CARS microscopy will now be available to biological and medical researchers in a cost-effective system. New opportunities will abound.
Cells are very small and optical microscopes are required to see them. Unfortunately, the internal components of cells do not come colour-coded for our convenience. To deal with this, scientists have developed, over many decades, various dyes and stains to colour the internal bits of cells so that they could be discerned in an optical microscope. However, if one wants to study processes in live cells busily going about their business, there is a problem. Cellular processes and biochemistry are exceedingly complex and no one knows for sure if these added dyes or stains alter any of these biochemical processes. The best, of course, would be to observe live cells without adding anything at all. Enter CARS microscopy.
CARS is based upon the internal vibrations of molecules. Different molecules have different structures. Due to this, the internal vibrations of these molecules will also be different. CARS recognizes molecules by their "vibrational fingerprint". It is this unique characteristic that allows CARS microscopy to image components inside of cells without adding any dyes or stains.
Compared to Raman microscopy, a well established imaging method that also uses "vibrational fingerprints", CARS is a game changer. For example, a Raman microscopy image that might take 12 hours to scan can now be recorded using CARS microscopy in ½ a second. This allows for real-time movies to be made of live cells and biological tissues.
-
News
Evident to accelerate its growth and innovation
Olympus Corporation and EVIDENT Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Olympus announced that Olympus concluded a definitive agreement with Bain Capital Private Equity, LP, regarding the transfer of Evident. Based on this agreement, all shares of Evident will be transferred to Bain Capital ... more
Olympus Corporation announced the completion of the separation of its Scientific Solutions business to a wholly-owned subsidiary, Evident Corporation. Following the divestiture of its Imaging business, this move further signifies the company’s long-term strategy to cement its position as a ... more
Carl Zeiss Licences Digital Pathology from Olympus
Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH and Olympus America Inc. have signed a nonexclusive worldwide licensing agreement allowing Carl Zeiss to access an extensive portfolio of patents held by Olympus in the field of digital pathology and virtual microscopy. The patents included in the licensing deal c ... more
- Videos
- 1Can the AI driving ChatGPT help to detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease?
- 2Simple nasal swab can provide early warning of emerging viruses
- 3Diagnosing cancer in minutes
- 4Holes in T cells
- 5A mobile breakthrough for water environment monitoring
- 6Molecular archeology: 1200-year-old DNA sequences from Madagascar lead to the discovery of an extinct tortoise
- 7Sartorius with clear double-digit growth in fiscal 2022
- 8Bruker Announces Acquisition of ACQUIFER Imaging GmbH
- 9How old is your brain, really?
- 10The architecture of shattered genomes
- Study reveals new method of preparing imaging agents
- Identifying toxic materials in water with machine learning
- Scientists unveil world’s first molecular-level analysis of Omicron spike protein
- COVID-19 : Measuring viral RNA to predict which patients will die
- New prognostic biomarkers and cancer-driving genes found in the dark matter of the cancer genome