A European research team from Germany, the Czech Republic and Belgium, with the involvement of the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the CAS, v.v.i. (ISI), is developing an innovative imaging technology that will enable high precision visualization of neural processes in living organisms. The NEUROGATE project is working on a holographic endoscope that can peer deep into the brain through an ultra-thin optical fibre – minimally invasively with sub-cellular resolution. The European Innovation Council (EIC) is funding the development of this technology with €2.5 million to test its applicability in biomedical research.
The holographic endoscope is based on a multimode optical fibre thinner than a human hair. It allows long-term observation of neural networks in deep regions of the brain – even in free-ranging organisms. This opens up new possibilities for the study of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or epilepsy, and could contribute to the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. “This technology represents a turning point in neuroscience,” says Professor Dr. Tomáš Čižmár, head of the research department at the Leibniz Institute IPHT and professor at Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
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