OCT Technique Improves Accuracy of Deep Brain Stimulation Mapping
Deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical procedure that can be used to treat Parkinson’s, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other neurological disorders, involves implanting electrodes in specific brain regions to regulate abnormal neural activity. The precise placement of these electrodes is crucial for a successful clinical outcome. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the tool commonly used for DBS mapping, lacks the resolution and contrast needed to accurately pinpoint the small, deep brain nuclei targeted for electrode placement. Consequently, researchers are exploring optical imaging techniques with better contrast, higher resolution, and lower costs than MRI to serve as supplementary tools in intraoperative DBS.
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Evident's Pramana Acquisition Will Combine Clinical Microscopy, Digital Pathology Capabilities
Evident has agreed to acquire Pramana, a manufacturer of whole slide imaging technologies and digital pathology solutions. Terms of the deal have not been announced. Founded in 2021 by nference, a leader in multimodal and agentic AI innovation, Pramana develops fully autonomous image scanning systems, which are designed for use in hospitals, research facilities, and educational institutions. The systems use volumetric imaging techniques to scan specimens at varying fields of view and combine the images into a single fully focused image.
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Multimodal Microscopy Imaging Method Charts Course for Monitoring Brain Metabolic Changes
A microscopy system developed by researchers at MIT addresses the challenges of using all-optical imaging techniques to visualize metabolic changes and neuronal activity deep within the brain. Using the system, which combines acoustic imaging and multiphoton excitation, the researchers achieved exceptional depth and sharp images by combining several advanced technologies into one microscope.
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Tools for Analyzing, Controlling, and Simulating Biological Systems
Tue, Sep 16, 2025 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
It was discovered that one can physically magnify biological specimens by synthesizing dense networks of swellable polymer throughout them, and then chemically processing the specimens to isotropically swell them. This method, which is called expansion microscopy, enables ordinary microscopes to do nanoimaging – important for mapping molecules throughout cells, tissues, and organs. As a second example, Ed’s team serendipitously discovered that microbial rhodopsins, genetically expressed in neurons, could enable their electrical activity to be precisely controlled in response to light. These molecules, now called optogenetic tools, enable causal assessment of how neurons contribute to behaviors and pathological states, and are yielding new candidate treatment strategies for brain diseases. Finally, the development of new strategies such as robotic directed evolution, fluorescent reporters enable the precision measurement of signals such as voltage. To reveal relationships between different molecular signals within a cell, there is work of developing spatial and temporal multiplexing strategies that enable many such signals to be imaged at once in the same living cell. Sponsored by Zaber Technologies Inc., Jenoptik and COMSOL Inc.
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Features
Fluorescence Microscopy and Microfluidics, Hyperspectral Imaging, Raman and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Photonics Media is currently seeking technical feature articles on a variety of topics for publication in our magazine BioPhotonics. Please submit an informal 100-word abstract to Senior Editor Doug Farmer at Doug.Farmer@Photonics.com, or use our online submission form www.photonics.com/submitfeature.aspx.
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