Standardization of luminescence, fluorescence measurements, and light microscopy: Current situation and perspectives.

Abstract

Improving reproducibility and confidence are important challenges in biomedical measurements, such as luminescence and fluorescence measurements [1]. In general, biomedical measurement results using luminescence and fluorescence are described in terms of optical signals. Although the quantitative aspects of luminescence, fluorescence measurement, and light microscopy are increasingly critical for experimental outputs, the measurement values are still described in arbitrary units. This makes it difficult to compare the results obtained using different equipment because the factors used to determine the optical signal value depend on the type of measurement system and detector used, the spectral properties of the optical components in the light path, and the day the measurement is taken. Standardizing system calibration and verification procedures and establishing reference materials as a common “scale” support a universal comparison between measurement results obtained under different instruments and conditions, thereby ensuring improved result reproducibility and reliability. At the 60th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society of Japan, held in September 2022, we organize a symposium session to introduce this research goal.