Modular microscopy (ModMicro) solution for volumetric epifluorescence microscopic imaging

Fluorescence microscopy is a well-known technique for studying biological samples. However, on a global scale, microscopy techniques (beyond brightfield imaging) are inaccessible in some countries. Additionally, proprietary microscopy hardware is not modular and cannot be adapted for different architectures. In this research, we demonstrate a modular epifluorescence microscopy system and image analysis technique developed with the motivation of achieving high-resolution imaging using low-cost modular hardware. We compare the performance of the (1000 GBP) OpenFlexure-inspired epifluorescence ModMicro system to a proprietary epifluorescence microscope. With the epifluorescence ModMicro system, we imaged 'datacubes' of 0.54 x 0.40 x 0.005 mm (in 100 steps of 50 nm each) size. The image data is enhanced with a novel sharpening algorithm. Combined (light sources, microscope hardware and image sharpness enhancement algorithm), a complete system for epifluorescence microscopy that is globally accessible and cost-effective is presented.