3-D multispectral monitoring of living cell signaling using confocal imaging and FPGA processing

Online control of living cell signal propagation experiments is being facilitated with field programmable gate array (FPGA) processing. The technology approach captures confocal fluorescence microscopy imagery in a manner that real-time, live-cell chemical signaling can be monitored during an experiment for extended time periods. The experiments obtain quantitative, spatial characteristics of the cell chemistry from the imagery through analysis, following a localized perturbation stimulus. The construction of a high-speed, confocal microscope provides simultaneous, two color image acquisition, at speeds of up to 30 fps, allowing near-real-time fluorescent resonance energy transfer and subsequent ratiometric, chemical signaling analysis. The FPGA provides real-time image processing hardware for observing adjustments of the microscope settings as the images are received, using real-time image registration and fusion algorithms displayed through a user interface.