NCN-Sheng

Challenge Traditional single-cell analysis of large populations is bottlenecked by time-consuming workflows and the phototoxicity of fluorescence labeling. There is an urgent need for a label-free, non-destructive optical imaging technique capable of detecting subcellular structures and tracking rare marker-cells (e.g., CTCs) across entire living colonies.

Objectives & Methodology This project aims to develop novel theories, optoelectronic systems, and reconstruction algorithms for label-free, high-resolution 2D Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) and 3D Refractive Index Tomography (RIT). By leveraging coherence engineering and computational imaging, the project will push past current microscopic information limits and enhance the phase signal-to-noise ratio.

Work Plan

• WP1 (2D QPI): Label-free live-cell imaging via low-coherence common-path digital holography and Fourier ptychography.

• WP2 (3D RIT): Integrating interferometric phase tomography and non-interferometric 3D ptychography into a novel hybrid microscope—the ShengScope.

• WP3 (Biomedical Application): Validating the technology with bio-partners for stem cell research and cancer cell detection.

Impact & Collaboration The ShengScope will deliver a next-generation, non-invasive diagnostic tool for rapid and automated 2D/3D single-cell analysis with zero contamination risk. This ambitious goal is made possible by the complementary expertise of WUT (experimental interferometric metrology) and NJUST (non-interferometric QPI), making the project uniquely qualified for the SHENG 3 Initiative.