Radically new microscope commercialized
The National Research Council Canada (NRC) recently helped Olympus, a world leader in advanced optical microscopy and medical imaging, to design and commercialize a CARS (Coherent Anti-stokes Raman Scattering) microscope. A new CARS user facility will open its doors to Canadian researchers and the medical community in Ottawa on November 17, 2009.
The new Olympus microscope is based on a femtosecond non-linear optical process called CARS, which stands for Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering. CARS is a molecule-specific imaging method that permits researchers to see particular chemicals and structures inside living cells, without adding any dyes or stains: CARS is additive-free! While CARS itself is not new, the NRC team developed a simple, robust yet high performance approach that permitted rapid commercialization. CARS microscopy will now be available to biological and medical researchers in a cost-effective system. New opportunities will abound.