[PHOT-OS] Lensless digital holographic microscopy with optical sectioning and chemical specificity for imaging thick, highly scattering samples
Grant Agreement No.: UMO-2025/58/E/ST7/00483
Granting Authority: National Science Centre, Poland (NCN)
Call: SONATA BIS 15
Project duration: 20 April 2026 – 19 April 2031 (60 months)
Project’s Grant Amount: PLN 2,920,680.00
Grant Amount for WUT: PLN 2,920,680.00
Project Manager at WUT: Maciej Trusiak, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor
Project Team: PHOT-OS research team, Institute of Micromechanics and Photonics, Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology
Project description
PHOT-OS aims to develop a lensless holographic microscopy platform for three-dimensional imaging of thick, highly scattering biological samples without staining or labelling. The platform will combine a large field of view with depth-resolved structural imaging and information on the chemical composition of the sample.
Optical sectioning will rely on recording holograms under coded illumination and jointly reconstructing them computationally. The light-propagation models and reconstruction algorithms will account for the multilayer structure of the sample and multiple scattering. This approach aims to reduce contributions from out-of-focus structures and improve the reliability of three-dimensional reconstruction.
Chemical specificity will be introduced through selective mid-infrared photothermal excitation. Absorption by selected sample constituents produces small changes in temperature and optical properties, which are detected using visible-light holography. Combining this contrast with optical sectioning will enable investigation of the spatial distribution of chemical constituents, including lipids, alongside tissue structure.
The research will encompass computational method development, construction of an experimental system, and validation using model and biological samples. The expected outcome is a method integrating structural and chemical imaging over large sample volumes. As a basic research project, PHOT-OS may support advances in label-free analysis of tissues, organoids and cell cultures, and inform the development of future tools for digital histopathology.
