Trinity College Dublin in Ireland has installed the BioBrillouin microscope to propel studies in cancer, inflammation, developmental biology, biomedical materials, and other fields.
Said to be the country鈥檚 first and only microscope of its kind, it is placed in Trinity School of Engineering professor Michael Monaghan鈥檚 lab, within the Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute.
It helps researchers explore cellular and tissue mechanics, crucial in understanding disease, dysfunction, and regeneration. Traditional methods for studying these mechanics have been invasive and limited in scope.
The microscope’s non-invasive light technology allows for the mapping and quantification of the viscoelasticity, compressibility, and mechanics of materials and biological tissues.
This technology provides researchers with the ability to examine live systems, such as tissues and cells, without disruption, offering insights into how they evolve.
The microscope operates by detecting light scattering caused by interactions between light photons and the acoustic phonons in a material.
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By GlobalDataThese interactions are influenced by the material’s mechanical properties.
The installation of the BioBrillouin microscope has been made possible through the support offered by the European Research Council and Research Ireland.
Monaghan said: 鈥樷�楤eing the first commercial system in the world, we have tremendous technical support from the vendor, CellSense Technologies, with whom we have worked closely to get the system on the ground.
鈥淗owever, it鈥檚 also important to understand its use is not limited to biomedical research and related applications 鈥� it will help scientists push boundaries even further in fields such as materials science, ICT, energy storage, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices and diagnostics. This groundbreaking equipment will help us advance frontier science, and we anticipate scientists will travel from all over the world to use it 鈥� we have welcomed some already.鈥�
