The Field Guide to 3D Printing in Optical Microscopy for Life Sciences

Rosario, Mario Del; Heil, Hannah S.; Mendes, Afonso; Saggiomo, Vittorio; Henriques, Ricardo

doi:10.1002/adbi.202100994

Cited by 54 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 170 publications

(251 reference statements)

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“…With phantoms being used as test objects for a specific imaging modality, they need to be tailor‐made for that imaging process. The advent of 3D printing offers new possibilities for microscopy in general 117 and specifically to create solid or hydrogel tissue phantoms for a multitude of imaging modalities with relative ease. Fabrication allows the optical properties of phantoms to be controlled through the incorporation of scattering and absorbing media.…”

Section: Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and advances in optical 3D mesoscale imaging

Munck

Cawthorne

Escamilla-Ayala

et al. 2022

Journal of Microscopy

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Optical mesoscale imaging is a rapidly developing field that allows the visualisation of larger samples than is possible with standard light microscopy, and fills a gap between cell and organism resolution. It spans from advanced fluorescence imaging of micrometric cell clusters to centimetre-size complete organisms.However, with larger volume specimens, new problems arise. Imaging deeper into tissues at high resolution poses challenges ranging from optical distortions to shadowing from opaque structures. This manuscript discusses the latest developments in mesoscale imaging and highlights limitations, namely labelling, clearing, absorption, scattering, and also sample handling. We then focus on approaches that seek to turn mesoscale imaging into a more quantitative technique, analogous to quantitative tomography in medical imaging, highlighting a future role for digital and physical phantoms as well as artificial intelligence.

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Section: Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and advances in optical 3D mesoscale imaging

Munck

Cawthorne

Escamilla-Ayala

et al. 2022

Journal of Microscopy

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“…Two scientific fields have greatly benefited from the advent of 3D printing and the possibility of rapid prototyping directly in the laboratory: microfluidics [23,24] and microscopy. [25] Before the advent of 3D printing, making a microfluidic device was a cumbersome task: its steps involve making a master using soft lithography, molding and demolding PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), alignment in case of multilayer microfluidics, and final plasma bonding of PDMS to glass, a process commonly known as replica molding. If the microfluidics did not work as predicted, the process would have been repeated multiple times to fine-tune the microfluidic parameters.…”

Section: Phase 2: Designingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 3D Printer in the lab: not only a toy

Saggiomo

2022

Preprint

Self Cite

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Although 3D printers are becoming more common in households, they are still underrepresented in many laboratories worldwide and regarded as toys rather than as laboratory equipment. This short review wants to change this conservative point of view. This mini-review focuses on Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers and what happens after acquiring your first 3D printer. In short, these printers melt plastic filament and deposit it layer by layer to create the final object. They are getting cheaper and easier to use, and nowadays it is not difficult to find good 3D printers for less than 500€. At such a price, a 3D printer is one, if not the most, versatile piece of equipment you can have in a laboratory.

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“…Two scientific fields have greatly benefitted from the advent of 3D printing and the possibility of rapid prototyping directly in the laboratory: microfluidics [16,17] and microscopy. [18] Before 3D printing, making a microfluidic device was a cumbersome task: its steps involve making a master using soft lithography, molding and demolding PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), alignment in case of multilayer microfluidics and final plasma bonding of PDMS to glass. If the microfluidics did not work as predicted, the process would have been repeated multiple times to fine-tune the microfluidic parameters.…”

Section: Phase 2: Designingmentioning

confidence: 99%