SELFLED - Selective fluorescence microscopy of single cells based on highly integrated microLED arrays

SELFLED is a joint research project of five institutes and companies that are working together to increase the efficiency of fluorescence microscopy through automation, parallelization and miniaturization of the illumination system. Fluorescence microscopy enables high-resolution examination of cells in microenvironments and is therefore a key tool in medical research, for example in medicine development and cancer research. The project partners have set themselves the goal of minimizing the photobleaching of fluorophores and reducing the photooxidative stress of proteins with the help of an optical package consisting of a microLED array and a microlens array. Therefore, the selective illumination of the wells must be implemented with the lowest possible edge scattering in neighboring, unobserved samples. In the project, the ITA is primarily responsible for the iterative, targeted simulation of the entire optical package and the design of the microlens array. In addition to the development of algorithms that calculate the optimal geometries of the freeform lens based on varying input parameters, the optics are measured at the institute for validation. For this purpose, an optical measuring station is being expanded in such a way that semi-automated measurements can be carried out. In addition, AI-based image processing will simplify the alignment of the microcomponents. The knowledge gained will later be used for the active alignment of the package.