Cheap Fluorescence Microscope Using Photoacoustic Effect to Alter Sample Fluorescence

Overview

Fluorescence microscopes are a pivotal component of scientific research. However, they are expensive and can cause photobleaching in specimens over long exposure periods. These issues are responsible for hindering scientific progress by producing malignant data and preventing research. To counter this, this research aimed to design a phone-based fluorescence microscope incorporating the photoacoustic effect. This effect states that tissue exposed to pulsed light absorbs the light’s energy, rises in temperature, thermally expands, and produces acoustic waves. This approach was taken because a smartphone dramatically reduces the cost of the device and the photoacoustic effect’s expansion may improve specimen fluorescence. This device consisted of a 3D printed frame and parts, an objective lens, tube lens, and breadboard circuit with LED lights and an Arduino Uno. The prototype was tested using Dugesia tigrina by calculating each specimen’s corrected total cell fluorescence (CTCF) when treated with a planarian toxicity fluorescence assay. This assay was performed by exposing organisms to an antiseptic solution, then to the fluorescent dye sodium fluorescein, and then viewing them under the prototype before and after a five-minute period with and without the photoacoustic effect. It was found that the prototype achieved its goal by preventing photobleaching, but a two-way repeated measures ANOVA reported that the presence of the photoacoustic effect, photobleaching, and their interaction had no significant effect on CTCF at an alpha value of 0.05 (F(1,29) = [2.427], F(1,29) = [.020], F(1,29) = [.954]). However, the partial ETA squared value of the photoacoustic effect revealed that this played a moderate role in data variance.

Competition history

• AJAS 2025 Category not listed

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