FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY

Researchers have created a design for a ‘glowscope’, a device that could democratise access to fluorescence microscopy.
An optical microscope views an object by studying how it absorbs, reflects or scatters visible light.
A fluorescence microscope views an object by studying how it re-emits light that it has absorbed, i.e. how it fluoresces.

The process:

The object is illuminated with light of a specific wavelength.
Particles in the object absorb this light and re-emit it at a higher wavelength (i.e. different colour).
These particles are called fluorophores.
When the fluorophores fluoresce, a fluorescent microscope can track them as they move inside the object, revealing the object’s internal shape and other characteristics.

Uses and applications:

To identify and study different entities, from specific parts of the DNA to protein complexes.
Helps identify cells and sub-microscopic cellular components with accuracy and details.
In the field of histochemistry to detect particles such as neurotransmitter amines which cannot be seen by conventional microscopes.
It is used in food chemistry to assess the presence, structural organization and spatial distribution of specific food components in a product.

Fluorescence Speckle Microscopy:

It is a technology that uses fluorescence labeled macromolecular assemblies such as cytoskeletal protein to study movement and turnover rates.
Fluorescence microscopy staining also is helpful in the field of mineralogical applications.
It is also widely used in the textile industry to analyze fiber dimensions.
Epifluorescence microscopy helps to study the fiber-based materials including paper and textiles.
It is ideal for studies of porosity in ceramics, using a fluorescent dye.
It is also applicable to studies of semiconductors.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB

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