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We get pretty excited when we learn of new
photographic technology, just like when machinists learn of a new
tool coating or substrate material.
So we were really
excited when we learned of the Mesolens Confocal Microscope being
developed at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
The
mesolens is capable of showing three-dimensional images within cells
and tissues at the same time as showing the whole organism, something which is
currently not possible with any single imaging device.
(Fleas typically
aren't much larger than the period at the end of this sentence.)
According to Dr.
Brad Amos, Visiting Scientist there:
"The
information provided by microscopes is vital to this process but can take hours
at a time to emerge. The confocal lens can be trained simultaneously on or
inside an individual cell and the full organism, with strong resolution and
will have the capacity to deliver 3D images which go far beyond the limitations
of 2D representations.
"This
level of detail can open up vast possibilities for discoveries which can
contribute to the fight against disease worldwide."
Dr Gail
McConnell, a Reader at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical
Sciences, is a partner in the research. She said:
"Our
research fits with Strathclyde's ethos of technical innovation with universal impact.
We already have the two-dimensional technology for the lens in place, but a
third dimension will allow us to take the revolutionary step of presenting
images with a range and versatility which no single imaging platform can
currently offer."
I like her
thinking: "…ethos of technical innovation with universal impact."
It reminds me of our role in the precision
machining industry making human safety critical, highly engineered
products with our own 'ethos of technical innovation with universal
impact.'
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