The University of North Florida Materials Science and Engineering Research Facility (MSERF) has partnered with TESCAN, a leading manufacturer of electron and light microscopes, in the installation of one of its new Q-Phase microscopes, a unique instrument for quantitative phase imaging based on holographic microscopy.
The Q-Phase microscope is a one-of-a-kind holographic microscope capable of imaging live cells for up to five days. Traditional light microscopy of cells requires staining and chemical treatments that capture the state of the cell in time but kills the cell in the process. This new technology allows cells to be imaged while living over the course of days.
“The partnership with TESCAN affords the University the ability to gather cutting-edge data from the latest high-tech equipment” said Dr. Paul Eason, UNF-MSERF director and associate professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction.
The agreement between the University and TESCAN provides UNF the opportunity to house brand new and unique microscopes for the purpose of instrument validation and demonstration for potential users. The Q-Phase microscope, housed at MSERF in the newly renovated Skinner-Jones Hall, is on the UNF campus for a 90-day trial installation.
Researchers both at UNF and the Mayo Clinic are taking advantage of the trial installation and utilizing the high-powered device in their respective studies of treating various types of cancer.

Image Credit: AZO Nano
News This Week
The Surprising Origin of a Deadly Hospital Infection
C. diff might not originate from external transmission but rather from within the infected patient themselves. Hospital staff dedicate significant effort to safeguard patients from infections during their hospital stay. Through practices ranging from [...]
Google AI breakthrough – huge step in finding genes that cause diseases
Google says it has made a significant step in identifying disease-causing genes, which could help spot rare genetic disorders. A new model named AlphaMissense is able to confidently classify 89 per cent of all [...]
New Study: Everyday Pleasures Can Boost Cognitive Performance
MINDWATCH study reveals cognitive peaks with everyday pleasures. Listening to music and drinking coffee are the sorts of everyday pleasures that can impact a person’s brain activity in ways that improve cognitive performance, including [...]
Moderna reveals new highly targeted COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1283
Moderna has developed a new and improved version of its COVID-19 vaccine. The unique formulation (mRNA-1283) reduces the vaccine's content from the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to a narrowly focused encoding of just two [...]
New nanotech weapon takes aim at hard-to-treat breast cancer
Breast cancer in its various forms affects more than 250,000 Americans a year. One particularly aggressive and hard-to-treat type is triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which lacks specific receptors targeted by existing treatments. The rapid [...]
Scientists upcycle plastics into liquids that can store hydrogen energy
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created a process that can upcycle most plastics into chemical ingredients useful for energy storage, using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a commercially available catalyst, all [...]
Yale Scientists Uncover How the Immune System Can Alter Our Behavior
The mere scent of seafood can severely sicken those allergic to it — and therefore they are more likely to avoid it. Similarly, individuals who experience food poisoning from a specific dish tend to [...]
Whirlwind Tech – The Future of Energy-Efficient Spintronics Computing
Researchers in Germany and Japan have been able to increase the diffusion of magnetic whirls, so-called skyrmions, by a factor of ten. In today’s world, our lives are unimaginable without computers. Up until now, [...]
Leave A Comment