Micro-Optical Coherence Tomography (μOCT) enables non-invasive, label-free cross-sectional imaging with subcellular resolution and extended depth of focus. However, μOCT provides limited sensitivity and specificity to the molecular and genomic signatures. The combination of µOCT and Fluorescence Confocal Microscopy (FCM) would improve our capability to interrogate biological specimens. We built and characterized a µOCT-FCM that enables colocalized imaging of µOCT and fluorescence signals. Depth scanning in the fluorescence channel was enabled by using an electronically tunable lens. We report the optical design, system-level integration, and characterization, and demonstrate the quantification of pH of airway mucus in a spatially resolved manner in cell cultures and ex-vivo swine tissue.
|