A Cost-effective, Modular, Research-grade Optical Microscope

Optical microscopy is a ubiquitous tool in the physical and life sciences and in histopathology, where visible light microscopy is used to analyse clinical tissue sections at the micron scale to help diagnose diseases. In recent years, microscope technologies have dramatically evol­ved, but these have generally come with increased cost and complexity. To widen access to advanced microscopy capabilities, we have developed a cost-effective modular platform for optical microscopy (www.openscopes.com). Many of these instruments can be based around a new low-cost and flexible microscope stand, ‘openFrame’, for which the core components are open source. openFrame can support implementations of a wide range of microscope modalities for diverse applications, including research, pathology and training. Unlike many commercial microscopes that are often designed for specific applications and cannot be easily upgraded or adapted for different imaging modalities, openFrame-based instruments can be relatively easily maintained, upgraded or adapted to another modality without requiring manufacturer support. To this end, openFrame-based instruments are envisaged to operate with open-source software, enabling researchers to assemble and modify their microscopes with minimal challenges presented by proprietary (closed) hardware or software. Here, we describe the implementation of a low-cost, research-grade modular optical microscope applicable to research and pathology.