Open Plans of a Low Cost Fluorescence and Imaging Ellipsometry Microscope for Teaching and Research

Abstract

The specialized functionality and high cost of commercial quality optical microscopes can be a significant barrier to teaching/research laboratories with constrained resources. In order to address these broader needs, as well as to meet specific biophysics imaging needs in our lab, we have designed an economical, multifunctional microscope. This microscope, called the SwingScope, combines functions traditionally met by both upright and inverted fluorescence microscopes. It utilizes commercially available or 3D-printed components, consumer LEDs, and requires less than one day for an undergraduate student to assemble. The cost of the microscope components/software is less than $12k, which is an order of magnitude cheaper than an upright and an inverted commercial fluorescence microscope. The detailed plans and component lists will be made available as free documents, and the system is open-source whenever possible (ImageJ, µManager, Arduino). Additionally the Swingscope can rotate 180 degrees around the sample, enabling side-on imaging, imaging ellipsometry, and contact-angle measurements for 3D reconstruction techniques. We have configured the illumination system with a cost-effective consumer LED light source, optimized for NBD and Texas-Red absorbance spectra. We have used the SwingScope to measure dynamics of single supported phospholipid bilayers (1% fluorescence), and preliminary point-spread functions indicate a 2µm resolution at 10x magnification. In addition to its research applications, we are exploring its assembly and use as a teaching laboratory experiment for undergraduates.