Polarized-light microscopic imaging of different tissues

Birefringence is a property of anisotropic materials wherein different polarizations of light propagate at different velocities. This summer project will provide students with hands-on experience using a polarized-light microscope (birefringence microscope) to explore the optical anisotropy of diverse biological specimens, with the broader goal of expanding our understanding of potential applications for polarized light-based imaging in biomedical research. Students will begin by conducting a literature-informed survey of sources of birefringence in biological systems — including but not limited to mammalian tissues such as muscle, nerve, cornea, cartilage, and myelin-rich white matter — while also considering non-mammalian model organisms such as C. elegans and living cell cultures maintained in petri dishes. While conducting the literature review, students will complete online training for work in a BSL-2 laboratory.

Following the survey and training, students will contact potential collaborative laboratories across both the BU Charles River and Medical Campuses, communicating our imaging capabilities and requesting tissue specimens or living sample, which they will then prepare and image in our lab