Mobile Phone Microscopy

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, US have developed the CellScope – a new microscope that can be attached to a common mobile phone with a camera to take color images of microorganisms. The CellScope consists of compact microscope lenses fitted in a holder, which is positioned in front of the mobile phones camera. By using an off-the-shelf phone with a 3.2 megapixel camera, the researchers were able to achieve a spatial resolution of 1.2 micrometers. In this way they were able to capture bright field images of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans and sickle-shaped red blood cells. They were also able to take fluorescent images of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB in humans. The development of CellScope moves a major step forward in taking clinical microscopy out of specialized laboratories and into field settings for disease screening and diagnoses. „The same regions of the world that lack access to adequate health facilities are, paradoxically, well-served by mobile phone networks,“ said Dan Fletcher, UC Berkeley associate professor of bioengineering and head of the research team. „We can take advantage of these mobile networks to bring low-cost, easy-to-use lab equipment out to more remote settings.“
www.berkeley.edu

CellScope prototype configured for fluorescent imaging (taken by David Breslauer, UC Berkeley)

Routine Spectroscopy in Analytical Labs

Thermo Fisher Scientific will host a series of free informative seminars on routine spectroscopy in the analytical laboratory. This seminar will explain the range of spectroscopic techniques currently available for use in the quality control or analytical laboratory. The essential theory of Infra-Red, Near-Infra-Red, Raman and UV spectroscopy will be covered, together with how to select the best technique for a given process or application. The seminar is aimed at scientists and analysts looking to commission, expand or replace spectroscopic analytical capabilities in their laboratory.
Dates are:
June 2, 2009 – Hemel Hempstead, UK
June 3, 2009 – Leeds, UK
June 4, 2009 – Edinburgh, UK

Attendance is free of charge. For registration visit:
www.thermo.com/ukscievents