2023/04/26 by Fraser Eadie, Eadie, Fraser, Matthew P. Gibbins +7
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Engineering · #Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques #Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #Cell Image Analysis Techniques #FOS: Physical sciences #Image Processing Techniques and Applications #Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det) #Medical Physics (physics.med-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2304.13739
openalex publication_date 2023/04/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Plasmodium spp. are the protozoan parasites responsible for malaria. Plasmodium spp. synthesise a biocrystal, hemozoin, which can be observed under cross-polarised light. These birefringent crystals can be seen due to different refractive indices of the hemozoin crystal and red blood cells. Here, we present a polarised light modular microscopy (Pol-ModMicro) solution, complete with illumination sources and a robust imaging system to capture birefringence and identify the parasites. We achieve this by combining ModLight light sources with bespoke components designed for the OpenFlexure microscope to image blood smears. Further, a simple and robust algorithm capable of enhancing birefringence is presented. This solution provides image quality that is comparable to a substantially more expensive proprietary microscope.