Scientists have turned to designing cameras for quantum measurements to capture the earliest stages of life, which marks a significant advancement in how researchers observe embryos while maximizing potential damage.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide Light Lifetime Center have demonstrated for the first time that hypersensitive cameras, including people who are able to detect individual light on each pixel, can effectively survive embryos with minimal disruption in their natural state.
“The damage to lighting is a real problem that can often be ignored. Using the lowest levels of light, as well as these very sensitive cameras, is very important to understand the biology in living cells.
The team tested this cutting-edge technology for developing embryos in part of a preclinical trial, and the results were published in the journal APL: Photonics. Join experts in projects across multiple disciplines, including optics, biology, laser physics, and microscopy.
At the heart of this innovation is the ability to detect extremely weak signals naturally generated in living cells when exposed to minimal light, a higher level of light that traditional imaging techniques are difficult to achieve without the need for potentially harmful.
Lead author and doctoral student Zane Peterkovic explains the technical challenge: “Many of the natural compounds in the cells light up when illuminated can tell us a lot about what we are looking for, but unfortunately the signal is very weak.”
Advances are a non-invasive approach to assessing embryo health as fertility studies increasingly seek. Current clinical IVF practices often rely on visual assessment under microscopy to select viable embryos, but providing more detailed biochemical information without interfering with developmental development may improve success rates.
Professor Dholakia noted: “These samples are surviving and the specimens are developed, which is the basis for research supporting the advancement of clinical IVF.”
What makes this technology particularly attractive is that its roots are in quantum physics. The camera runs at such an extremely high level of sensitivity to make quantum mechanics (usually related to subatomic particles rather than medical imaging) related to its operation.
“Digital camera technology has evolved to the point where fundamental physical concepts such as quantum mechanics have become important and relevant,” Peterkovic said.
This study is more than just attaching advanced cameras to microscopes. The team developed new ways to compare image quality for different cameras and even explored how artificial intelligence can enhance results.
“We even explored how to use AI to remove noise from captured images, which is essentially static because the camera is difficult to capture enough light,” Peterkovic said. “These steps are more than just putting the camera in a microscope to take pictures.”
The latest generation of quantum cameras can calculate a single packet of individual light energy in each pixel, representing the ultimate limit of mild imaging. This extreme sensitivity allows researchers to observe cellular processes, with minimal interference from the observation process itself, a concept reminiscent of the concept of observer effects in quantum physics, where measured behavior can change what is measured.
Associate Professor Kylie Dunning, who led the Reproductive Success Group at the Robinson Research Institute and is part of the research team, has previously studied methods for improving embryo evaluation through optical techniques.
Interdisciplinary approaches highlight a growing trend in biological imaging, where technologies initially developed for physical experiments have found new applications in life sciences. Similar technologies have also led to breakthroughs in brain imaging, cancer detection and drug discovery.
Going forward, researchers plan to extend their work to quantum imaging, where light quantum itself can be used to collect more information from biological samples without adding light.
This approach may eventually lead to more accurate techniques to evaluate embryo viability, thereby improving IVF success rates by allowing embryologists to choose greater confidence in selecting the healthiest embryos while minimizing any potential light-induced damage during the evaluation process.
The study, supported by the Australian Research Council, highlights the ongoing investment in cutting-edge optical technologies for biological applications.
As Professor Dholakia summed up: “Modern imaging technology makes it very exciting to see.”
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