A lensless, automated microscope for disease diagnostics

Abstract

Microscopy is widely accepted as one of the gold standards in disease diagnosis. However, factors such as cost and the need for a trained eye limit the potential usefulness of such equipment, particularly in resource-limited areas such as rural clinics. Digital holography or 'lensless' microscopy technologies have illustrated the possibility of using simple and cheap optical components combined with software algorithms to implement microscope platforms. We present a digital in-line holographic microscope platform (DIHMP) to be used with image processing and classification algorithms to provide a low cost, portable and automated microscope. Initial results show that the DIHMP produces similar images to those obtained with a conventional bright field microscope. Applications of this work are targeted towards the implementation of a full blood count, which could provide resource-limited areas with improved healthcare facilities and diagnosis times.