Innovations in the field of life sciences-2009: No. 4
4th place according to The Scientist. A camera that can countEvaluation and comparison of the intensity of fluorescence emitted by proteins, registration of the facts of colocalization (placement in the same area) of proteins in the membrane and detection of penetration of viral particles into the cell is a routine work of cell biologists, who often study these phenomena using cameras with a charge-coupled electronic multiplication system (EMCCD cameras).
However, such devices output numbers in arbitrary units of measurement, depending on the gain setting. Such results are almost impossible to reproduce in the same laboratory, and even more so in other laboratories.
The new Evolve camera developed by Photometrics makes image information not only measurable, but also reproducible. The unit of measurement used by the camera – a photoelectron – corresponds to a single collision of a photon emitted by a fluorescent protein, or a photon of reflected light, with the camera sensor. This provides detailed images accompanied by standardized information about the number of photons registered per pixel of the sensor.
The Evolve camera appeared on the market at the end of February 2009. The chief product manager of Photometrics, Deepak Sharma, did not name the number of cameras sold during the year, but admitted that it was not measured in thousands. He also said that the cost of the camera varies depending on the buyer's region, but it is comparable to the prices of cameras with a charge-coupled electronic multiplication system, which can reach $ 30,000. The developers of the Evolve camera believe that within 4-5 years their brainchild is able, through standardization of results, to radically change the state of things in the science of collecting, storing, searching and processing visual information.