Handheld, quantitative phase imaging probe for skin evaluation at subcellular resolution in vivo, in real-time, and in 3D

A handheld volumetric quantitative oblique back-illumination microscopy (qOBM) probe enables real-time, 3D subcellular-resolution imaging of human skin microstructure across all Fitzpatrick skin types in vivo.

• Why it matters: Biopsy-based histopathology is the diagnostic gold standard, but choosing which lesions to biopsy is difficult, especially for early-stage disease.
• What they did: The authors built a maneuverable qOBM probe and demonstrated in vivo imaging of epidermal and top-dermal layered microstructure, including anatomically challenging locations, plus case studies in ex vivo murine models and in vivo human nevi.
• The result: The results support a low-cost, compact system that combines dermatoscope maneuverability with 3D high-resolution imaging to improve bedside screening of dermatological lesions.

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