Groundbreaking Technology Set to Transform Scientific Research

The commercial launch of a revolutionary new technology known as SMAL (Super-Resolution Microsphere Amplified Lens) is a world first in microscopy.

Devised by LIG Nanowise, a Manchester Science Park based nanotechnology start up and led by Professor Lin Li, who demonstrated the basic principal of this technique in 2011*, the team has successfully translated the concept into NANOPSIS; a market ready microscope which has the potential to significantly accelerate R&D in a number of critical fields including drug discovery, cancer research and microelectronics production.

The cutting-edge, patented, SMAL technology modifies standard white light microscopes to dramatically increase their resolution. This allows users to view the nanoscopic world as never before seen with standard optical microscopes. SMAL is effectively the most powerful objective lens in the world. The lens has a x400 magnification lens– the only other lenses anywhere near that max out at x300 and they cost about a third of a million pounds.

The NANOPSIS imaging system works by using a microsphere (tiny transparent spherical beads) to gather invisible sub-wavelength light and convert it into a virtual super-resolution image. Bespoke software then stitches these images together in real time to generate full color, widefield scans of materials and life samples – resolving details down to 70 billionths of a meter (70 nanometers) in size, surpassing the theoretical limit of standard optical microscopy (200 nanometers).

This level of detailed imaging is vital for researchers working at the forefront of drug discovery, oncology and virology, with advanced materials such as graphene and the latest microchip technologies. This has traditionally required expensive equipment only found in Universities, large corporations, or specialist centers. High demand for these facilities means turnaround for sample imaging can be slow – adding days or weeks to tight timescales – as well as being unreliable and costly.

By removing this barrier, NANOPSIS promises to be a game changer for R&D laboratories, universities and microelectronics quality control around the world.

“Researchers can use our microscopes to validate samples and carry out routine work in their own laboratory without having to waste valuable time booking into an imaging center. This is because unlike other super-resolution technologies, which require a huge amount of expertise, our NANOPSIS nanoscopes can be used by anyone with basic undergraduate scientific training – making it fast, convenient and highly cost effective.

“Equally important, is the fact that these reliable, repeatable imaging results are delivered at the frontline of research, rather than part of a disjointed process in an inaccessible center. Our aim is to make super-resolution imaging more accessible to researchers across the globe,” explains Professor Lin Li, Chairman of LIG Nanowise, the team behind the innovation.

Crucially, for biological and medical applications, the optical lens does not have to be in contact with the sample, removing the risk of potential damage.

Additional financial benefits of SMAL powered NANOPSIS nanoscopes include faster sample throughput, greater power efficiency and a significantly cheaper investment compared to other super-resolution microscopes currently available on the market – costing 5 times less than technology rivals STED and STORM (used for biological imaging), and estimated to be 10 times cheaper than a standard electron microscope.

The super-resolution sector represents around 20% of the total global microscopy market, which is estimated to be worth around £4bn and forecast to rise to £5bn by 2020.

LIG Nanowise and Manchester Science Partnerships are holding a joint launch event with live demos of NANOPSIS on 29 June 2017 at MSP’s biomedical center of excellence, Citylabs 1.0.

For further information and/or to book a place, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nanopsis-one-launch-tickets-33628907969