A Novel Optomechanical Module that Enables a Conventional inverted Microscope to Provide Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy (iSPIM)

Description:

The invention describes an optomechanical module that, when engaged with a conventional inverted microscope, provides selective plane illumination microscopy (iSPIM). The module is coupled to the translational base of the microscope whereby a SPIM excitation objective is engaged to one portion of the mount body, and a SPIM detection objective (having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to that of the excitation objective) is engaged to another portion of the mount body. Such a system offers the advantages of SPIM (optically sectioned, high-speed volumetric interrogation of living samples, enabling, for example, the study of developmental or neuronal dynamics at high frame rates), while maintaining the flexibility and sample geometry of commercially available inverted microscopes (thus additionally allowing wide-field, TIRF, confocal, or 2 photon imaging of samples).