Biological specimen viability analysis by hybrid microscope combined optical microscope and Environmental-SEM

Abstract

This paper presents a novel biological specimen analysis system by hybrid microscope, which is combined optical and environmental-scanning electron microscope (E-SEM) based on nanorobotic manipulation system. As previous works, we present single cell analysis by E-SEM nanorobotic manipulation system. It can be realized that the nano-scale manipulation and evaluation by nano-tools using the nano-scale image of E-SEM. The E-SEM provides us the high resolution image of specimen with water containing condition by specially built detector and temperature controlling stage. However the E-SEM image, especially SEM image, is surface image, hence it is impossible to obtain the inner structural imaging which is important for biological analysis. In this work, we combine optical microscope (OM) and E-SEM to realize biological specimen analysis by optical microscope image including fluorescent imaging, and nano-scale manipulation by E-SEM imaging. We observe C. elegans as biological specimen analysis, because it is one of important model organism for various diseases analysis. The viability analysis has been done from the eGFP fluorescent intensity of C. elegans under E-SEM observation and electron beam irradiation. This system will be applied as future nano-surgery system based on nanomanipulation system for biological specimen.