MetroDHM
A turnkey inline digital holographic microscopy (DHM) instrument for label-free, quantitative microscopic imaging, specialized for detection and tracking of biological and non-biological micro-particles, providing high-throughput, volumetric, 3D characterizations of particle motion
Imaging Preparation
- Accommodates sample containers in which particles of interest can move freely in 3D (e.g., 2-mm cuvette)
- 3-axis micron-precision translation stage for precise sample positioning
- No need to mount on an optical table – robust to vibrations
Hologram Acquisition
- Observes samples in real time
- Convenient and fast in taking large datasets
Data Processing
- HoloPro software – our hologram processing and data analysis powerhouse
- Ease-to-use realized by intuitive GUI
- Exceptional speed realized by GPU-acceleration, ideal for extracting statistics from large dataset
Data Analysis
- 3D data visualization for particle distribution and trajectories
- Calculation of multiple kinematic parameters
- Exportation of results in formats readable to other software for additional analysis and visualization
Label-free
- Eliminate influences of fluorescent markers on biologically relevant results
3D
- Resolve intrinsically 3D motion, which is otherwise not accessible for conventional microscopy
Volumetric
- Avoid influences of 2D confinement on biological samples and provide sustained observation of samples through the depth
High-throughput
- Ideal tool for determining robust statistics
Easy-to-operate
- Simplified procedures from mounting the sample container to data acquisition
Compact
- Small footprint with a total length less than half a meter
Affordable
- A microscopic imaging instrument capable of 4D characterization does not have to be expensive.
Customizable
- Tell us the specialty of your application, we come up with a MetroDHM solution for you!
Application of MetroDHM to bacterial motility research
Our MetroDHM instrument has been used to acquire the motility data of Azospirillum brasilense (A. brasilense), a model soil bacterial specie whose chemotaxis plays an important role in metabolic processes in the rhizosphere. While being imaged, the bacteria are freely swimming in a 2-mm depth cuvette filled with the bacterial minimal medium. Processing of hologram sequences using HoloPro yields 3D trajectories, from which a range of motility parameters as well as motility patterns are extracted. The quantitative results reveal the differences in motility pattern of the wildtype (Sp7) and mutant (cheA4) strains.
Sample: preprocessed hologram sequence acquired at 12 FPS showing freely swimming bacteria
